Vintage steam train returns for second year

HUNDREDS of passengers are expected to hop aboard an iconic rail route again this summer.

Last year’s Fife coast to Scottish Borders trips were a sell-out and now they are returning for a second year, taking in two of the most scenic routes in the country.

Run by the Scottish Railway Preservation Society, the experience takes in views of the new Queensferry Crossing while traversing the spectacular Forth Bridge.

SRPS ran four Fife coast to Scottish Borders trips last summer, carrying a total of 1,600 people. The Black Five steam locomotive will travel the same route this year.

SRPS is a charity which maintains former British Rail coaches and the tours are organised and staffed by unpaid volunteers.

VisitScotland expects the steam experience to provide an important boost to the Borders economy after it attracted hundreds of visitors to the region last year.

The organisation’s regional leadership director, Paula Ward, said: “The steam train special from Fife, through Edinburgh and travelling down the Borders railway to Tweedbank last year proved a runaway success with many of the days completely selling out.

“Without a doubt, passengers are in for an unforgettable day out.”

People will board in Linlithgow and travel over the rail bridge and round the Fife coast before heading south on the 31-mile Borders railway route to Galashiels and Tweedbank every Sunday in August.

It will travel through Kinghorn, Burntisland and Aberdour and will stop for a while in Dalgety Bay.