Scottish Borders Railway - rebuilt Waverley Route link to Edinburgh

[whole diary]

[bobm]

Better food in Galashiels....

I'd second that - there is also more to see in Galashiels

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..than Tweedbank

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[rogerw]

little, if anything, at Tweedbank - especially on a cold winters day. Not even a loo.

[martyjon]

Thanks for the advice fellow forum members, I'll drop off at Galashiels one way or other.

[grahame]

From The Southern Reporter

Fears that a forthcoming report for Transport Scotland will advise against extending the Borders Railway south of Tweedbank have been mitigated by a reassurance that a second opinion is set to be sought in any event.

A transport corridors study by consultant Jacobs UK^▸ (United Kingdom) assessing the viability of extending the 30-mile track by almost 70 miles into England is due to be published later this month, and unconfirmed reports suggest that it will give any such plans the thumbs-down.

However, all hope would not be lost for campaigners calling for the recreation of the old Waverley Route from Edinburgh to Carlisle even in that case as the UK Government plans to have a feasibility study of its own carried out too.

Interesting to note two contrasting TransWilts pieces of work - the Park report of 2000 and the Jacobs report of 2004 (that's the one on which the service for the 2005 FGW^▸ (First Great Western) / GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) franchise was based).  Both reports are now so old that the numbers and metrics are radially different, and so the conclusions of historic interest as to "how it was at the time" only.

[TonyK]

Isn't it normal in Scotland to decide which answer you want before asking the question? It is in England, although I wouldn't say it works often.

[Timmer]

I sighed when I saw the consultants were Jacobs. Memories of 2006 come flooding back.

[trainbuff]

Yes.

Jacobs did a report into the Northern Route (Plymouth to Exeter via Okehampton) for Devon County which was overly pessimistic. Especially compared to the Greengauge 21 report for the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England. You would have thought they were talking about a totally different railway!!!

They are overly cautious

[TonyK]

Yes.

Jacobs did a report into the Northern Route (Plymouth to Exeter via Okehampton) for Devon County which was overly pessimistic. Especially compared to the Greengauge 21 report for the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England. You would have thought they were talking about a totally different railway!!!

They are overly cautious

Which could explain why they got the gig.

[Mark A]

A ~20 minute programme on the line, from ITV.

Mark

https://www.itv.com/watch/news/catch-up-on-border-life/8b00hx2

[Mark A]

The ten year anniversary of the line, and electrification is now heading its way, which begs an obvious question.

Mark

https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/25443880.342million-investment-announced-fife-borders-railway-upgrades/

[Oxonhutch]

One I would ask, from reading the linked article, is why aren't the two electric areas being joined up over the Forth Bridge. Is there a physical impediment?

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Borders Railway closures planned for electrification work

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Network Rail said the work would reduce operating costs

The first stage of electrification work is set to begin this weekend on the Borders Railway with a series of line closures on the horizon.

It follows a Scottish government announcement in September last year of a £342m investment to electrify routes in Fife and the Borders and introduce new battery‑electric trains.

Network Rail said it would help cut carbon emissions, improve air quality, enhance the passenger experience and reduce operating costs.

Preparatory work will begin on Saturday with a series of weekend closures of the line between Edinburgh and Tweedbank next month.

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The reopened Borders Railway between Edinburgh and Tweedbank marked its 10th anniversary last year

The closures are schedule for 14-16 March, 21-23 March and 28-30 March when buses will replace trains.

Lynsey Maclean, scheme project manager at Network Rail Scotland, said: "The Borders Railway was rebuilt with future electrification in mind, which means we can deliver this work with far less intrusive engineering than is required on many older parts of the network, where we often need to lower track or raise bridges. The infrastructure here is already suitable for this next stage of modernisation. Piling is still a vital early step in installing the overhead line equipment that will eventually power electric trains. Our teams have planned the activity carefully to keep disruption to a minimum for passengers and those living near the railway."

She said they were grateful to customers and local residents for their patience. "Electrification will deliver long‑term benefits for the Borders, and this work marks an important milestone in creating a cleaner, more reliable and more sustainable railway for the future," she added.

Mark Ilderton, ScotRail service delivery director, said it was an important step in paving the way for "new, greener trains and delivering a more modern railway". He said they were working closely with Network Rail to keep customers informed and would provide clear alternative travel arrangements.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Borders Railway extension business case due by late 2027

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The Borders Railway opened in September 2015

An outline business case for extending the Borders Railway to Carlisle should be delivered by late next year.

Funding for a feasibility study into taking the line past its current Tweedbank terminus was confirmed more than a year ago and campaigners have voiced frustration at the amount of time the process is taking.

A report to Scottish Borders Council (SBC) said it was hoped that consultants could be appointed by early next month.

It said the business case process would take about 18 months to complete although it said it would be working with everyone involved to see if timescales could be reduced.

The Borders Railway between Edinburgh Waverley and Tweedbank was officially opened in September 2015.

There have been repeated calls since then to extend it on to Carlisle.

Both the Scottish and UK^▸ (United Kingdom) governments agreed to share the cost of a £10m feasibility study in 2021 as part of the Borderlands Growth Deal.

Turner and Townsend were appointed as senior project manager in March last year.

Consultancy work to support the strategic outline business case (SOBC) is currently out to tender with appointments expected next month.

That work has been estimated to cost about £1m to complete in order to deliver an "extremely robust" case.

A report will be brought back to the council to confirm the appointment of consultants and a dedicated web page is under development on the council website to provide regular updates on progress.

[Mark A]

Electrification works on the Borders Railway across the viaduct crossing the Tweed requiring a slight tweak to late evening weekday train services.

Mark

https://www.hellorayo.co.uk/greatest-hits/borders/news/borders-railway-electrification-services-temporarily-withdrawn

[eightonedee]

It has just struck me. "They" (Treasury who control everything, including bankrolling the Scottish government's deficit) can allow expenditure to electrify the rail connections from Edinburgh to Galashiels (pop. 10,060) and Tweedbank (pop. 2,101), but not the rail connections from Exeter (pop.138,399) Plymouth (277,695), Gloucester (pop. 132,416), Cheltenham (pop. 118,836), Oxford (pop. 166,034, nearest connection just 10 miles away), Worcester (pop.103,872) to the national network, never mind that small station at Temple Meads.

Tell me again about how all the money stays in the south.....