Borders Railway - Now Open

[PaxVobiscum]

Anyone know what's happening with the Borders Railway? Transport Scotland doesn't appear to have updated their news page
http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/rail/projects/borders-railway/news/progress-update
for some time now.
I seem to remember seeing something in the press about objections to the A7 realignment at Falahill and a possible public inquiry.

 

[PaulLothian]

Anyone know what's happening with the Borders Railway? Transport Scotland doesn't appear to have updated their news page
http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/rail/projects/borders-railway/news/progress-update
for some time now.
I seem to remember seeing something in the press about objections to the A7 realignment at Falahill and a possible public inquiry.

I thought the page you link to was a fairly recent update - it seems to suggest this has been resolved.

No report of this problem on the Campaign for Borders Rail's website - http://www.campaignforbordersrail.org/index.html - (which is out of date!) or its blog (which is up-to-date).

As a general point, I do wish that all web pages showed a 'date of last revision' as I have to do on web pages that I manage for my employer.

 

[YorkshireBear]

As far as i am aware network rail have taken it over so there may have been a short delay in construction while they start.

 

[PaxVobiscum]

Found a reference to the problem, reported in December:
http://www.thesouthernreporter.co.u...object_to_rail_land_acquisition_bid_1_2008210

I hope you are right, and it has since been resolved. Thanks for the link, and agreed about the need to include revision dates!

 

[cle]

Could it have any freight benefit?

I know that if it was extended to Carlisle, it could take some freight off the WCML if heading to around Edinburgh or north of the Central Belt (could avoid Waverley on the south Edinburgh avoiding line).

 

[DaveNewcastle]

Could it have any freight benefit?

I know that if it was extended to Carlisle, . . . .

Well that is a VERY BIG 'if'. After the 30 miles of track currently being proposed to reach Galashiels, there'd be another 60 miles of hilly terrain between Galshiels and Carlisle! The A7 road climbs to 240mtrs and the old Waverley Line reached nearer 280 mtrs between Whitrope and Riccarton Jn.

But remember that the Borders Railway is being proposed as a single track line with loops. Its not exactly a significant artery.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

As far as I am aware, Network Rail have taken it over so there may have been a short delay in construction while they start.

The original project strategy was abandoned in September 2011 with Network Rail Scotland being asked by the Scottish Government to take the project forward under a new remit covering:-

A)....A total of 35 miles of new railway with seven new stations.

B)....The route to be mainly single track with three dynamic passing loops and on the line infrastructural side, a total of some 26 new bridges to be constructed and 88 of the existing line structures to be utilised.

Network Rail Scotland are currently reviewing the delivery plan in order that they might firm up timescales for this project and are hoping soon to confirm whether or not the date of "late 2014" for opening is feasible.

There are no plans at present for the line of the new project to be extended any further south nor is this matter any part of the current project forward thinking by the Scottish Government.

 

[PaxVobiscum]

Well, Transport Minister Keith Brown doesn't apparently think there are any problems
http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/news/Minister-visits-Borders-Railway-works
but the Scotsman is saying otherwise
http://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/not_a_hope_in_hell_for_on_time_borders_railway_1_2130465

One insider said there was “not a hope in hell” the line would be completed by the end of 2014 as planned – and trains would now not run until 2015 at the earliest.

Construction work on the Edinburgh-Tweedbank line is not expected to start until at least this autumn – a year late.

This came despite transport minister Keith Brown insisting the project was on course when he viewed preliminary work in Galashiels yesterday.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I tend to believe what Network Rail Scotland said, as reported in my posting that was just prior to this posting of yours.

 

[PaxVobiscum]

I tend to believe what Network Rail Scotland said, as reported in my posting that was just prior to this posting of yours.

I suppose measured reporting is too much to hope for, even from an allegedly quality paper like the Scotsman. They would probably claim the article is balanced since they have effectively generated two opposing sides to report on.
It's a bit disappointing that everything has to be reported in such sensationalist terms.

 

[PaxVobiscum]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-17513399

Borders to Edinburgh rail reopening 'one step closer'

A £2m contract has been awarded to further develop designs for the reopening of the rail route between the Scottish Borders and Edinburgh.

Network Rail said the deal with BAM Nuttall brought the multi-million pound project "one step closer".

It is hoped the scheme will be completed with trains running between the capital and Tweedbank by late 2014.

The tender process for the project was scrapped last year after two out of three bidders pulled out.

Network Rail has now been asked to deliver the £295m scheme.

Its latest deal with BAM Nuttall is to further develop designs of the railway route including bridges, tunnels and stations.

A total of seven new stations are planned along the 35-mile route.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-17513399

I still wonder why two of the three original bidders pulled out (and their stated reasons), which caused the failure of the original tendering process.

 

[PaxVobiscum]

I still wonder why two of the three original bidders pulled out (and their stated reasons), which caused the failure of the original tendering process.

I suspect they all found that it wasn't going to be possible to complete it on budget (and perhaps timescale).

 

[WatcherZero]

The scottish Government was also going to offer it as a PFI scheme where they recouped their investment through a slice of passenger revenue. The risk if the line didnt meet its forecast targets the companies wouldnt recoup their original investment was actually quite high.

 

[furryfeet]

So when are Network Rail due to report to the Holyrood Parliament as to whether
a) the project deadline of Dec 2014 is feasible
b) whether the said deadline can be met "within the budget of 295m"
c) will the project risk going over the five years from "cutting the first sod" and therefore dying a death !

 

[PaxVobiscum]

I see from another railway website that buildings on the solum which were subject to compulsory purchase have now been demolished in Galashiels, Stow and Gorebridge.

Good to see obvious signs of progress on the line, though I do have sympathy for homeowners/tenants who must be have been a bit upset at losing their homes.

 

[DaveNewcastle]

"Symathy"? "Upset" ?

We could equally look at counting the massive number who formally registered their oppostion to the line's closure, plus those uncounted masses who simply shouted their objection at the line's closure.

So we complain when the line is closed and we complain when the line is re-opened, is there any more that can be said, other than 'sympathy for those who are upset'? But lets not give any more than sympathy if opinions run both ways and can only be understood in terms of resistance to change?

 

[PaxVobiscum]

I am not sure I follow you there.

But may I ask, would your enthusiasm for railways prevent you from being just a teensy bit peeved if your own residence had to be demolished for a new/reopened line?

 

[cle]

Exactly. It was over 40 years ago, and a very different time. The railway itself may have been useful, but it wasn't a critical link (for example Carlisle to Edinburgh wasn't quicker than via Carstairs).

I'm pleased it's being reopened, but at a much more manageable and realistic scale for the population. Hopefully if it's a success, extensions and more loops can happen.

 

[fgwrich]

If your trying to follow the progress of the Waverly route like me, then this is a good gallery to follow:

http://jonathanmcgurkphotography.zenfolio.com/p289038065

So far, work on the line seems to be the continuation of proprietry works - including the demolition of various houses and structures on the route, but it shows that things are at least happening. However, im not impressed with Transport Scotlands view / Design for the railway in various places, where they seem to almost be taking the Irish principle of railway works - Whatever upgrading the railway gets, the roads get it too...

Example - Galashiels. They had plenty of space to construct a sizeable station, with passing loop and car park...But sold the land to Asda. This was on top of the Station Brae works, which involved the replacement of the historic original railway bridge - built to span several tracks......With a modern concrete bridge, built to take only a Single Track underneath... And further up the line - Where will the new station site be located? Squeezed in between the road & retaining wall, with a single track structure squeezed inbetween the upgraded road... :roll:

The new Asda:
http://jonathanmcgurkphotography.zenfolio.com/p289038065/h91f762f#h23605aef

http://jonathanmcgurkphotography.zenfolio.com/p289038065/h91f762f#h281de5bb

The new Station site
http://jonathanmcgurkphotography.zenfolio.com/p289038065/h91f762f#h91f762f

http://jonathanmcgurkphotography.zenfolio.com/p289038065/h91f762f#h94fbc47

(It's almost hard to think this used to be a double track Mainline passing through here!)

 

[A0wen]

If your trying to follow the progress of the Waverly route like me, then this is a good gallery to follow:

http://jonathanmcgurkphotography.zenfolio.com/p289038065

So far, work on the line seems to be the continuation of proprietry works - including the demolition of various houses and structures on the route, but it shows that things are at least happening. However, im not impressed with Transport Scotlands view / Design for the railway in various places, where they seem to almost be taking the Irish principle of railway works - Whatever upgrading the railway gets, the roads get it too...

Example - Galashiels. They had plenty of space to construct a sizeable station, with passing loop and car park...But sold the land to Asda. This was on top of the Station Brae works, which involved the replacement of the historic original railway bridge - built to span several tracks......With a modern concrete bridge, built to take only a Single Track underneath... And further up the line - Where will the new station site be located? Squeezed in between the road & retaining wall, with a single track structure squeezed inbetween the upgraded road... :roll:

The new Asda:
http://jonathanmcgurkphotography.zenfolio.com/p289038065/h91f762f#h23605aef

http://jonathanmcgurkphotography.zenfolio.com/p289038065/h91f762f#h281de5bb

The new Station site
http://jonathanmcgurkphotography.zenfolio.com/p289038065/h91f762f#h91f762f

http://jonathanmcgurkphotography.zenfolio.com/p289038065/h91f762f#h94fbc47

(It's almost hard to think this used to be a double track Mainline passing through here!)

It's probably more cost effective to make the road improvements at the same time - given that some of them will probably be needed as a result of the railway's reinstatement or to support it's reinstatement i.e. to allow materials and plant to get to the site.

The Asda store opened in 2006, so it's not a recent arrival - and the land wouldn't have been sold if it was integral to the reinstatement.

As for your comments about the size of the station - Galashiels is a place with a population of circa 12,000 people - how big do you expect its station to be exactly? Corby has a population of 55,000 and has a new single platform station which has been more than capable of handling the passenger volumes it has received.

The reinstatement of the Waverley route is to provide a commuter link from the borders into Edinburgh - the infrastructure and structures should reflect that. What it may or may not have had before closure is, frankly, irrelevant.

 

[PaxVobiscum]

http://www.bordertelegraph.com/news...21-tourism-chiefs-support-borders-rail-plans/

Tourism chiefs support Borders rail plans

RAIL campaigners in the Borders have reiterated their plea to transport chiefs to extend the platform at the proposed new terminus in Tweedbank to accommodate charter trains in a move it is claimed would attract more visitors to the area and could earn the local economy an extra £500,000 a year.

EArlier this year, the Border Telegraph revealed four of the biggest tourist train operators in Scotland backed the Campaign for Borders Rail proposals to almost double the size of the station's platforms - including the operators of the Jacobite steam train made famous in the Harry Potter movies.

And now they have won the support of local tourism officials after a delegation visited the Settle & Carlisle Railway on a fact-finding mission.

Bill Jamieson of CBR said: "Transport Scotland have not come clean about the charter train situation and in particular the need for longer platform tracks at Tweedbank. This has to be urgently reviewed if we are to make the most of the new Borders Railway - bringing in £500,000 or more additional visitor spend every year."

A delegation of six from the Borders visited Appleby station earlier this month to see how a local community partnership has promoted increased rail tourism. They were guests on the Fellsman tourist charter train which links Lancaster, Preston and Appleby with Carlisle every week during the summer season.

The Borders delegation included Catherine Maxwell Stuart, Chair of the Area Tourism Partnership, and Paula McDonald, Regional Director of VisitScotland. And their host was James Shuttleworth, from West Coast Railways, which operates the highly successful Jacobite steam train on the Fort William-Mallaig line popularised in the Harry Potter films.

With recent rumours about costs being pared and running times put at risk, I wonder if they will succeed in having provision for railtours made at Tweedbank.

That buried EHV cable at Tweedbank really is a bit of a bummer.

 

[Cliveblackpool]

I see from another railway website that buildings on the solum which were subject to compulsory purchase have now been demolished in Galashiels, Stow and Gorebridge.

Good to see obvious signs of progress on the line, though I do have sympathy for homeowners/tenants who must be have been a bit upset at losing their homes.

I would not buy a house on an old trackbed, unless the whole line was virtually infilled with expensive development.
Eg I would not buy a house on the old Tavistock - Exeter trackbed!

Good to see a major reopening actually (slowly) taking shape.

 

[Cable Car]

What is it about Edinburgh that the two projects, Borders Line and Edinburgh trams, seem to be taking forever to finish.

Is just bad management or are the tracks jinxed.

 

[yorksrob]

I am not sure I follow you there.

But may I ask, would your enthusiasm for railways prevent you from being just a teensy bit peeved if your own residence had to be demolished for a new/reopened line?

Frankly, if I was paid enough, no.

That said, if I ever bought a property on an old trackbed, it would be with the hope that it might be re-opened (although I realise that probably wouldn't be the majority view) !

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

What is said to be the projected total of all passenger usage from the existing rail terminus of Newcraighall from all the new stations to the new rail terminus of Tweedbank ?

 

[WatcherZero]

What is it about Edinburgh that the two projects, Borders Line and Edinburgh trams, seem to be taking forever to finish.

Is just bad management or are the tracks jinxed.

Edinburgh it was the council didnt have decent records on what was under the street, they underestimated the number of utilities to be moved by 50% and kept hitting graveyards and poor soil conditions. You can put it down to poor ground surveys and historically bad record keeping.

Borders its the Scottish Government trying to do it on the cheap thats delayed things when no one could build it as cheap as they wanted and they faffed about with alternate funding structures like leasing the line from a private consortium.

 

[yorksrob]

Frankly, if I was paid enough, no.

Or rather yes. (i'd obviously had one too many to cope with double negatives last night )

 

[Windcutter]

Exactly. It was over 40 years ago, and a very different time. The railway itself may have been useful, but it wasn't a critical link (for example Carlisle to Edinburgh wasn't quicker than via Carstairs).

I'm pleased it's being reopened, but at a much more manageable and realistic scale for the population. Hopefully if it's a success, extensions and more loops can happen.

Its a great shame they can't find the finance to reopen the full line into Carlisle.

Surely with modern traction it would become much quicker today, and there would be only a few sheep to move out of the way to the south !!:roll:.

To me the line is a lot like the S & C and would attract a lot of traffic.

Just a wish

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Its a great shame they can't find the finance to reopen the full line into Carlisle...... and there would be only a few sheep to move out of the way to the south !!

Perhaps the projected income to be obtained from passenger usage from any new stations from Tweedbank to Carlisle, when set against the actual cost of line re-construction and subsequent annual costs of line maintenance on that specific section, could well be the reason why this will never happen.