Borders Railway Timetables

[sminkers]

The timetable for the route is now available on the ScotRail website:

http://www.scotrail.co.uk/sites/default/files/assets/download_ct/122963_newcraighall-edinburgh.pdf

 

[me123]

Hi Sminkers, thanks for that and welcome

Good timetable on the whole. Nice early morning trains to the Borders will help encourage employment in the area, as well as encouraging the growth of the area as a commuter corridor for Edinburgh. There's also great times for traveling to and from Edinburgh, with an arrival at 06:15 as well as a 23:54 departure back home.

I'm a bit sad to see that they're not overtly promoting the line in the timetable as part of their scenic journeys thing. More worrying is the omission of any mention of bus transfers. I can't see any buses companies as of yet promoting onward connections to the rail line, and I think it would really benefit the line to get these up and running. I'd particularly like to see buses to Selkirk & Hawick (which could support the case for extension), buses to Melrose via BGH, and perhaps onto St Boswells and Kelso. Hopefully, these would be times to meet trains at Tweedbank. Sadly, I suspect that First (who operate not only the local services down there, but also the main services to Edinburgh which will compete directly with the line) will see little benefit in ferrying people to their main competitor.

 

[Techniquest]

I assume the services marked up with the header note 'A' are the ones due to be steam-hauled? I find it interesting they're non-stop through one station (Stow I think, sorry I'm posting well after quickly reviewing the timetable!) on some services.

Liking the frequency of trains on the route though, I shall have to book some time off for late September to get this line covered. Perfect excuse to also pop up and do a Central Scotland again, as well as least one Roundabout bash!

 

[Blindtraveler]

Myself and my neighbour who is also a minor enthusiast are planning to bash it on day 1 - hoping 1 of these will b steam hauled

 

[oldman]

I assume the services marked up with the header note 'A' are the ones due to be steam-hauled?

I don't think so. The services shown would be cancelled to allow a path for the steam trains, presumably one each way.

 

[Northern Pacer]

Scotrail have gone forth and released the timetables for the Borders Railway. Personally I think that half hourly, on mostly single track is very ambitious, although there must be sections where the units will pass each other. Anyone wanting the timetable there's a link here.

http://www.scotrail.co.uk/sites/default/files/assets/download_ct/122963_newcraighall-edinburgh.pdf

Sorry that the link is slightly longer than some others that you might have seen

 

[jopsuk]

I assume the services marked up with the header note 'A' are the ones due to be steam-hauled?

nope, the notes are:
A From Glenrothes with Thornton via Kirkcaldy
B From Glenrothes with Thornton via Dunfermline
C To Glenrothes with Thornton via Kirkcaldy
D Runs Tuesday to Friday mornings only
E Runs Sunday mornings only
F Runs Saturday mornings only

 

[Altnabreac]

nope, the notes are:
A From Glenrothes with Thornton via Kirkcaldy
B From Glenrothes with Thornton via Dunfermline
C To Glenrothes with Thornton via Kirkcaldy
D Runs Tuesday to Friday mornings only
E Runs Sunday mornings only
F Runs Saturday mornings only

Those are the pre September Notes before Borders Rail opens.

Post September A does indeed mean a service may be removed to run a steam special on Wednesday or Thursdays until 15 October.

 

[Techniquest]

Thanks for the gen, I'll definitely not plan to do those journeys on my visit, just in case!

 

[cjt0131]

I would be interested to know why a number of trains mon-sat will not be stopping at stow

 

[Altnabreac]

I would be interested to know why a number of trains mon-sat will not be stopping at stow

You have to remember Stow is a very small village of around a 1,000 people and will mainly act as a Park & Ride for commuters in Lauder, Innerleithen and North Galashiels.

It also won't have much daytime leisure traffic (at least inwards as there's not much to see there!

Given those factors a full service at commuting times combined with 1tph during the day should be sufficient.

Initially plans did not include a station at Stow but it was inserted into the project at Bill stage in 2006 and became a mandatory part of the scheme.

 

[cjt0131]

You have to remember Stow is a very small village of around a 1,000 people and will mainly act as a Park & Ride for commuters in Lauder, Innerleithen and North Galashiels.

It also won't have much daytime leisure traffic (at least inwards as there's not much to see there!

Given those factors a full service at commuting times combined with 1tph during the day should be sufficient.

Initially plans did not include a station at Stow but it was inserted into the project at Bill stage in 2006 and became a mandatory part of the scheme.

I am quite aware of the size of stow but I just do not see the point of any train passing through stow and not stopping

I would consider 0559 from tweedbank mon-fri and 0600 from tweedbank on sat (people do work weekends) to be commuting times

as for lauder and innerleithen I will be very interested in exactly how many from those places will actually travel to stow to get a train--but we will have to wait and see for that one

 

[Techniquest]

Well hopefully it'll be all go on 7th September, I'm going up for it that day!

 

[Northern Pacer]

Well hopefully it'll be all go on 7th September, I'm going up for it that day!

Nice to see you round here Julian! We might bump into each other on the 7th, because with relatives in Selkirk, I hope to scratch every shack on the first day! They'll all be relatively simple if you time them right!

 

[David Goddard]

Does anyone know if the Central Scotland Rover area will be extended to include Tweedbank? The map link on the NR site points to e broken URL on the Scotrail site at present.

 

[Techniquest]

Well hopefully it'll be all go on 7th September, I'm going up for it that day!

Nice to see you round here Julian! We might bump into each other on the 7th, because with relatives in Selkirk, I hope to scratch every shack on the first day! They'll all be relatively simple if you time them right!

Almost guaranteed to bump into you at some point then, nearer the time I'm sure details will be revealed as to intended trains etc.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Does anyone know if the Central Scotland Rover area will be extended to include Tweedbank? The map link on the NR site points to e broken URL on the Scotrail site at present.

I suspect they're still working on figuring that one out, with possibly re-designed maps on the way. If it does get included I'm expecting a significant price hike on the Central Scotland Rover.

For all we know there might be a brand new day ranger created for the Borders Railway. Without a doubt it would prove popular!

 

[me123]

You have to remember Stow is a very small village of around a 1,000 people and will mainly act as a Park & Ride for commuters in Lauder, Innerleithen and North Galashiels.

It also won't have much daytime leisure traffic (at least inwards as there's not much to see there!

Given those factors a full service at commuting times combined with 1tph during the day should be sufficient.

Initially plans did not include a station at Stow but it was inserted into the project at Bill stage in 2006 and became a mandatory part of the scheme.

Whilst Stow may be one of the weaker stations en route, I would agree that the hourly service here is somewhat bizarre. It's going to be the only station on the line that won't benefit from the full service, and I can't imagine that omitting the stop will significantly add to the journey time.

On the other side of the coin, people using the station could be slightly miffed that they're only getting half the service, and as such may be more likely to drive elsewhere to catch the train (I've seen this in Coatbridge, where the re-opening of Airdrie-Bathgate saw express trains omitting Blairhill station, and subsequently passengers now drive to Sunnyside to catch the express/more frequent train!).

Interestingly, when Kilmarnock trains went to half-hourly, they originally provided only 1tph to some intermediate stations - a decision that has been subsequently reversed.

 

[Deepgreen]

The omission of Stow only saves only one minute compared with stopping there, according to the timetable, so it seems pointless. Also slightly irritating that some clock face times differ by one or two minutes at some times, rather than making it simple and neat. Possibly owing to the need to mesh in with other trains at the Edinburgh end.

 

[jimm]

Hi Sminkers, thanks for that and welcome

Good timetable on the whole. Nice early morning trains to the Borders will help encourage employment in the area, as well as encouraging the growth of the area as a commuter corridor for Edinburgh. There's also great times for traveling to and from Edinburgh, with an arrival at 06:15 as well as a 23:54 departure back home.

I'm a bit sad to see that they're not overtly promoting the line in the timetable as part of their scenic journeys thing. More worrying is the omission of any mention of bus transfers. I can't see any buses companies as of yet promoting onward connections to the rail line, and I think it would really benefit the line to get these up and running. I'd particularly like to see buses to Selkirk & Hawick (which could support the case for extension), buses to Melrose via BGH, and perhaps onto St Boswells and Kelso. Hopefully, these would be times to meet trains at Tweedbank. Sadly, I suspect that First (who operate not only the local services down there, but also the main services to Edinburgh which will compete directly with the line) will see little benefit in ferrying people to their main competitor.

Given that the trains to Tweedbank aren't starting until september, I'd be surprised if the bus operators have firmed up their plans for connecting with the trains anyway, even assuming they got an early sight of the timetable, so probably no information worth putting on this pocket timetable was available when it had to be signed off. I'd think there's a good chance of there being a reprint come September anyway, by which time bus info should be available.

And with the journey time differential, I doubt the buses are going to be that attractive a proposition to most people in future, even if bargain basement fares are offered, so it wouldn't surprise me if First thins out its service on the A7 and redeploys buses on rail connecting services from the Galashiels interchange instead if it thinks there is money to be made that way.

 

[Kite159]

I shall try and get down to Tweedbank on the 20th September

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

You have to remember Stow is a very small village of around a 1,000 people and will mainly act as a Park & Ride for commuters in Lauder, Innerleithen and North Galashiels.

With a one-hourly service, it will be more like...."Park and Wait and Ride"...:roll:

 

[chiltern trev]

Re hourly service at Stow and Park and Ride.

I think not.

I used to commute on Chiltern Railways. Stations and High Wycombe, Beaconsfield and Gerrards Cross had good sized car parks (150+ or was it more) and some were extended and Beaconsfield by more than one extension. And the car parks filled up due to the regular 3+ trains per hour.

Then Denham station had a car park makeover. The spare railway land (that had at one time ben goods sidings) which was let to some businesses was cleared and the car park extended by 150%. The normal service was about 2+ trains per hour and about 50% of Gerrards Cross, Beaconsfield and High Wycombe. Was there car park usage growth? NO.

 

[cjt0131]

some trains not stopping at stow ????

this was discussed here back in april but it seems to have taken until 4 weeks before opening for this to be highlighted by the local council and community councils

 

[Carntyne]

some trains not stopping at stow ????

this was discussed here back in april but it seems to have taken until 4 weeks before opening for this to be highlighted by the local council and community councils

Been pretty clear on the timetable since they were issued though.

 

[cjt0131]

been pretty clear on the timetable since they were issued though.

i give up

 

[380gk]

The original plan wasn't even gonna have a station at stow. Considering the population, hourly daytime and half hourly peak services seems like a great deal.

 

[bradders1983]

Worth noting the link in the OP is dead. This is the correct one:

http://www.scotrail.co.uk/sites/default/files/assets/download_ct/sr1505_newcraighall_-_edinburgh.pdf

 

[70014IronDuke]

Worth noting the link in the OP is dead. This is the correct one:

http://www.scotrail.co.uk/sites/default/files/assets/download_ct/sr1505_newcraighall_-_edinburgh.pdf

Thanks for that.

I think this is an astonishingly good timetable. Sundays as well.

Robin Hood line regulars eat your hearts out.

My only query would be whether it would be more efficient to put in some short distance workings at the northern end in the peaks.

Does the signalling allow trains to stop short and turn, eg at Newcraighhall or Eskbank?

 

[380gk]

You can turn at gorebridge I believe and (probably) newcraighall.

 

[Gathursty]

I will try this line during the October holidays. Have the fares been released for Edinburgh to Tweedbank?