Borders Railway patronage exc

MORE than half a million passengers have used the £353 million Borders Railway since it re-opened in September last year.

Transport Scotland claims the figures show that passenger uptake on the re-opened railway is more than 20% ahead of forecast, and believes it will continue to exceed expectations through the year.

ScotRail Alliance Managing Director Phil Verster added that “no-one expected us to reach 500,000 passengers so quickly”, although campaigners for the line disagreed.

David Spaven, from the Campaign for the Borders Line, said: “The substantial patronage on the Borders Railway is very welcome, but Phil Verster of the ScotRail Alliance is wrong to say that ‘no-one expected us to reach 500,000 passengers so quickly’. Rail campaigners certainly did, when they saw the ludicrously pessimistic forecasting undertaken four years ago by Transport Scotland.”

The TS Business Case for Borders Railway, published in November 2012, predicted first year annual return passenger numbers of 647,136. The exact figure for September 6 to January 23 was 537,327.

Derek Mackay, Minister for Transport and Islands, and Verster celebrated the landmark by awarding the 500,000th passenger, Sarah Eno, with a season ticket on January 28.

Verster said: “We had a huge surge of interest during September and October, and since then passenger numbers have stabilised. Demand is still high - consistently over 20,000 journeys per week - but we are in a better position now to understand our peaks and troughs and when we need to add extra carriages to our services.

“This year, our focus is on further establishing the service and helping the communities of Midlothian and the Scottish Borders to make the most of this huge economic opportunity. We expect to see a big uplift in tourists during Easter and summer, and during the big events such as the Melrose 7s, the Borders book festival and the Common Ridings.”

Mackay said: “In addition to strong passenger demand, local businesses are reporting increased footfall and extended trading hours since September.”

Abellio UK Managing Director Dominic Booth said: “Back in 2013, when we were bidding for ScotRail, we were asked by numerous people about the Borders Rail Project. My reply was, and will always be, that we will make this incredible railway work for everyone. For us this is not just about travelling customers, it’s about the revival of the region.”

Spaven said: “The final business case, which concluded that the benefit:cost ratio would be 0.5:1, envisaged patronage which equated to just over two passengers per train at Tweedbank and a similar number at Galashiels.

“In practice, in less than five months Stow has generated more than double the number of passengers that official forecasts predicted for a year; in the case of Galashiels it’s three times the official forecast; and for Tweedbank five times as many passengers have travelled in five months as was forecast for a year.

“Also, many passengers have not actually been counted by ScotRail, because of overcrowding and the