Celebrations recently took place in Galashiels to mark the tenth anniversary of the opening of the Borders Railway.
Scottish Government representative, Scottish Borders Councillors and a host of supporters and partners who brought the railway back to the Borders gathered at the Tapestry Building to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Borders Railway.
Councillor, Scott Hamilton, Executive Member for Economic Growth and Developing the Borders, said: “This milestone not only celebrates the return of trains to the Scottish Borders but acknowledges the positive impact the Waverley line has brought to the Borders. “We look forward to the continued growth and development that the Borders Railway will bring in the years to come.”
Many dismissed the project but continued campaigning and support from Scottish Government saw trains returned to the Scottish Borders after 46 years. In 2015 the Borders Railway was the longest new domestic railway built in Britain for over a century. Since then, the line has successfully generated over 13 million passenger journeys across the 30-mile route.
Support for the rail line remains with campaigners hoping to see the extension of the railway through Hawick to Carlisle. The Scottish Government recognises that extending the Borders Railway to Carlisle is a regional priority. This acknowledgement offers the region optimism for the extension of a strategic and vital transport link, south to Carlisle.
This week Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop, announced the next phase in Scotland’s programme to decarbonise the railway network and the electrification of sections of the Fife and Borders railways. The £342 million investment also included procuring 69 new trains, ‘as part of the next stage in modernising Scotland’s Railway’.
Councillor Hamilton continued:” I am delighted with this announcement and congratulate the Scottish Government’s ongoing commitment to making our railways greener, more reliable, and with greater capacity.”
