Extending the Borders Line is ‘best idea’ for the region

REOPENING the remaining section of Borders Railway to Carlisle is seen as the “best solution” for the area’s transport issues and improving connectivity between England and Scotland. The Borderlands Partnership – a consortium of local authorities covering the Dumfries and Galloway, Scottish Borders, Cumbria, Northumberland and Carlisle areas – has produced a prospectus looking at the potential of extending the line, and all back extending from Tweedbank to Carlisle. However, the prospectus does not say where any new stations should be sited. The document points out a higher car ownership in Melrose, St Boswells, Newcastleton, Langholm and Longtown compared to the national average, suggesting the car dependency stems from a lack of alternative transport. Scottish Borders Council leader Shona Haslam said the re-establishment of a line between Edinburgh and her region had brought “immense and wide-ranging benefits”, adding: “SBC has made a case for the extension of the line to Hawick and on to Carlisle for some time, and together with the other local authority partners we are reaffirming and strengthening that case in the prospectus.” The prospectus says in order to deliver an extended line in a 10-20 year time frame, development work should begin now. At present, 96% of the original trackbed remains unobstructed. Opening between Edinburgh and Tweedbank in September 2015, the Borders Railway stands out as the most successful rail reopening scheme, averaging 1.74m passengers per year between 2017/8 and 2019/20.