The Borders Railway/Waverley route occupies the front page and page 3 of the Hawick Paper this morning (23 October). The article concerns research carried out by an organisation called World of Railways.
They looked at eight towns and villages which lost their rail service following the Beeching Report - Blyth, Ashington, Portishead, Brixham, Ripon, Hawick, Bala and Braughing - and estimated the “cumulative local Gross Value Added, or GVA, over the years each community spent without passenger rail.” GVA is “ a measure of the value of goods and services produced in an economy. In this case, it gives us a way of exploring the economic activity that improved rail access might have supported over time.”
The research forms part of World of Railways’ Britain’s Lost Railways project, ahead of The National Festival of Railway Modelling at the NEC Birmingham on November 21st-22nd, 2026.
In Hawick’s case, World of Railway estimates the town’s loss at £4.68 million.
Macaulay Nichol public relations manager of World of Railways says this is a “per-person” measure based on “public research into the economic benefits associated with railway station development”.
In the Hawick Paper article, Campaign for Borders Rail’s Chair, Marion Short, says the World of Railways estimate is “on the light side” and Councillor Watson McAteer agrees noting that “Hawick suffered an economic disaster following the 1969 closure of the Waverley Line” noting that £4.68 million falls far short of the real position, adding that “the flawed decision to close the line was based on reconciling a real-time balance sheet loss without any consideration or application of any strategic foresight”.
www.world-of-railways.co.uk/news/britains-lost-railways-what-did-decades-without-passenger-trains...
Building on Success
We’re a long-established pressure group promoting the benefits of modern train services for communities across the Borderlands. Our grassroots campaign saw the rail link from Edinburgh to the Scottish Borders reopened. Now we’re lobbying to extend the popular Borders Railway onward to Hawick and Carlisle. Campaign for Borders Rail is an independent community-based association with over 1000 members. Founded in 1999, it has been one of the most successful grassroots rail campaigns in Great Britain, a story of concerned citizens from all walks of life getting together to right the 1969 injustice of complete closure of the 98-mile Waverley Route through the Scottish Borders. Check out our NEWS page to read the latest updates.
Read MoreANNUAL GENERAL MEETING. 31ST OCTOBER 2026. STARTS NOON. VOLUNTEER HALL, GALASHIELS
This year’s AGM will be held at the Volunteer Hall, St John’s Street, Galashiels. (adjacent to Bank Street).
The doors will open at 11am and the programme for the day will commence at 12 noon with the business session of CBR which lasts under one hour. This first session gives all those attending the opportunity to hear of our work since our 2025 AGM in Hawick and also our plans for the year ahead. Non-members are welcome to attend, but only CBR members are entitled to vote on the formal motions.
Following a lunch break, during which there will be time to chat to Committee members and view our merchandise, the second session will commence at 2pm when 3 speakers will share the stage for 30 minutes each.
Refreshments available.
We look forward to seeing you again soon.
https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/public-community-transport/borders-railway