Provisional details on UKR website for "the Waverley" tour on 30 December to borders railway.
not yet open for booking.
provisionally timed to leave Kings cross 05:45
http://www.ukrailtours.com/product/the-waverley/
not yet open for booking.
provisionally timed to leave Kings cross 05:45
http://www.ukrailtours.com/product/the-waverley/
The Waverley Route was a railway that ran south from Edinburgh, through Midlothian and the Scottish Borders, to Carlisle. The line was built by the North British Railway and was completed in 1862. Usage was light and it fell victim to the Beeching Report and was closed in 1969.
In the last decade or so, railway reopenings in Scotland have been more commonplace than in England. Following on from Stirling to Alloa, then Edinburgh to Glasgow via Bathgate, the coming weeks will see the most ambitious Scottish railway revival to date, the northernmost thirty miles of the Waverley Route from Edinburgh through Galashiels to Tweedbank.
The original Waverley Route was double track but the new railway is only single with passing loops. The frequency of the new service is such that no spare capacity would normally exist for special trains. However, taking advantage of a franchise commitment to accommodate special trains and through co-operation with Abellio Scotrail and Transport Scotland we are able to operate a special train from London to Tweedbank between Christmas and New Year.
Our special train will be hauled by a Class 90 electric between London Kings Cross and Millerhill Yard where two Class 66s will take over in top and tail mode. The train will then run into Edinburgh Waverley for a brief leg-stretch before travelling over the complete length of the new railway through Galashiels to Tweedbank where we expect to take a break of around 25 minutes.
We then retrace our steps towards Edinburgh taking a detour around the normally non-passenger Edinburgh Suburban Line (the Sub) and we take a longer break of just over an hour in Scotlands fine capital city before heading back south behind the electric locomotive.
The tour has been agreed in principle by all parties. There are just a few final details to be confirmed and we expect to announce fares and open bookings (First Dining, First Non-Dining and Standard Classes) within just a few days.
We very much hope you will be joining us on this memorable occasion!