Campaigners fought for years
a mixed picture for us, with good and bad months.
“More needs to be done to tell people what they can see here by taking the train.”
One attraction is Abbotsford, home of Sir Walter Scott, which has had a £12 million investment from Borders Railway.
And there are high hopes of a boost in visitors from the proposed siting of the Great Tapestry of Scotland.
Scottish Borders Council had initially chosen the Tweedbank terminus of the line as a permanent home.
But an alternative Galashiels location is being considered at a meeting at the end of this month.
“There are lots of little tweaks than can make things better,” added David Spaven.
“Visitors arrive at Tweedbank but can’t immediately see information. There are four buses an hour to Melrose but there’s nothing at the platform telling them what to do.
“That and information leaflets on the trains are a couple of the small things that won’t cost a lot of money but will make the experience better for passengers.”
Councillor David Parker, leader of Scottish Borders Council, said: “The Borders Railway is opening up opportunities to work, invest, live, learn and visit our region.
“One year since it opened, the railway is starting to help transform the Scottish Borders’ economy, from increasing
tourism to assisting in the growth of key areas such as the food and drink and creative sectors.
“And the passenger numbers highlight the potential for the area.”
A spokesman for ScotRail said: ”The Borders Railway is on track to exceed its year one passenger forecasts, which is great news.
“The people of the Borders and Midlothian have demonstrated that there is a real desire to make use of an alternative public transport option.
“The scenic journey has also given potential visitors to the region another reason to travel.
“The real long term success and economic benefits of this line will take years to realise, but at present our focus is on further improving service reliability.
“It’s been a great first year and we hope that year two will prove to be even better.” THE Borders became the only region in Britain without a train service after the axing of the Waverley Line in 1969 as part of the Beeching cuts.
Galashiels and Hawick were left further from the network than any other similar-sized UK town.
Campaigners fought for decades to bring rail travel back.
In 1999 the Scottish Executive commissioned a study into the feasibility of reopening the Waverley line between Edinburgh and Carlisle.
Authorisation to rebuild the railway was lodged with the Scottish Parliament in 2003 and advance work got under way in 2010.