Key factors for Borders extension

Freight: Freight is seen as a key element to reopening the railway south of Tweedbank.

Huge forestry plantations across the Borders have reached maturity, and these provide a continuous supply of timber, according to Campaign for Borders Rail.

Timber is currently moved by lorry to Carlisle, where it is then taken forward by rail. However, a new rail link could allow loading closer to the forests. CBR says this would cut environmental impacts, reduce road traffic and extend the customer base.

Looking at freight and the possibility of reopening the railway, the CBR report suggests the need to establish if the movement of timber by rail on a reinstated line would be viable. This would have to include the net contribution to operating costs, and reduction in external costs within the overall business case.

There needs to be an examination of potential for other freight flows into, out of, and through the Borders. Options for a central Borders rail freight terminal with good access to the road network should also be explored, while sources for funding for the facilities must also be identified.

Resilience: The Lamington Viaduct collapse in early 2016 closed the West Coast Main Line north of Carlisle for two months, and forced passengers travelling from the Cumbrian city to Edinburgh onto buses.

Campaign for Borders Railway argues that a reinstated Borders route would have minimised disruption, while at the same time also reducing the economic impact.

Transport provision: The Campaign for Borders Rail argues that compared with transport corridors between Inverness and Aberdeen (112 miles) and Inverness and Perth (108 miles), the 98-mile Borders Railway is shorter and has a higher intermediate and end-point populations, yet its transport provision is more limited.