London-based CBR activist Nick Bethune has kindly drawn our attention to the fact that the full set of engineering drawings for the Borders Railway has been posted on the web – more evidence that the railway really is coming, in case you were rubbing your eyes and asking if it really was true after all!
http://www.bordersrailway.co.uk/maps-plans.aspx
The Scotsman reports a new analysis of Beeching’s cuts which ranks the Waverley Route as the worst line closure in Britain.
http://www.scotsman.com/the-scotsman/transport/450-miles-of-scots-railway-dodged-beeching-axe-1-2848941
Produced by rail consultant, author and CBR member David Spaven – with help from two rail industry colleagues – the table (see link below) ranks fifteen different routes by length of line closed / distance from the remaining rail network / population / ‘strategic connectivity’.
Beeching closures comparison final summary table
Spaven comments:
“There may be knowing smiles that the route about which I’ve written a book tops the table – but my colleagues actually prevailed upon me to increase my initial score for the Waverley Route, as they felt I was trying too hard to be seen to be scrupulously fair in the analysis! Since closure left the Borders as the only region of Britain without a rail service, and no other towns as large as Galashiels and Hawick as far from the rail network, I think the overall judgement is probably correct.”
Today’s Edinburgh Evening News takes the report which Saturday’s Herald used to try to discredit the Borders Railway – and sees the positive side of the story!
Under the headline ‘Borders rail link could cut 530,000 road trips’ the paper quotes author (and CBR Life Member) David Spaven on various angles ignored by the Herald:
“There has been a tendency to be over pessimistic about the number of passengers who will use the new railway and we know from experience that many rail reopening schemes have done enormously better than forecast.
“Because of the limits of modelling, it probably doesn’t pick up on what the railway can do in terms of tourism – with the massive number of tourists in Edinburgh looking for other things to do, there is scope for attracting them to Sir Walter Scott country – Tweedbank is just a mile from Abbotsford. I doubt whether that has been factored in.”
Read the whole story on:
http://www.scotsman.com/edinburgh-evening-news/transport/borders-rail-link-could-cut-530-000-road-trips-1-2820819
An article in New Civil Engineer magazine – to which we’ve been alerted by the Capital Rail Action Group – suggests that September 2015 will see the start of train services on the Borders Railway. Although much of the text of the article will be familiar, there are one or two other interesting snippets – but regretably CBR is not mentioned in the potted history of the rail re-opening campaign. See:
http://files.groupspaces.com.s3.amazonaws.com/files/43985/682774/New%20Civil%20Engineer%20article%20on%20Borders%20railway%2C%2014%20Feb%202013.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=0A8Z1WYDADBF2DZEBCG2&Expires=1362415426&Signature=Yp7MQeYGPwBGW2%2FqNjIDr0a2eXY%3D
Following a cobbled-together front page story in the 2nd March Herald, which tried to cast doubts on the business case for the Borders Railway, readers of the paper – including David Steel, and Paul Tetlaw from Transform Scotland – have today set the record straight with a fine array of ripostes. See:
http://www.heraldscotland.com/comment/letters/borders-cannot-afford-not-to-have-a-rail-link-with-capital.20393211
The latest CBR newsletter welcomes the go-ahead for the Borders Railway and urges supporters to get involved in the first phase of the campaign to push the railway south from Tweedbank. Read all about it in the attached link.
After many years of scepticism, negativity and outright opposition to the Borders Railway from The Scotsman, it’s a pleasure to read the positive coverage today in a large feature by stablemate Edinburgh Evening News. Headed ‘It’s on the right lines’ the double-page story leaves the reader in no doubt that the railway will have a massively positive impact on the Borders and Midlothian.
http://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/borders-rail-works-starts-on-historic-link-1-2786591
There’s also strong backing for the project in the paper’s editorial, which concludes that “when we see the diggers in action we have the comfort of knowing that the results will bring a real boon to the area.”
So, how long now before a change of heart at Scotsman Towers!?
“Simon Walton here. You may not have heard much from the chairman’s office lately, but it’s been all go behind-the-scenes at campaign HQ. Our change of committee came on the same day as the contract was signed to start work on the Edinburgh to Tweedbank railway, or, as we prefer to call it, Phase One.
“Now we’ve had the very good news that the Scottish Government, in collaboration with the Association of Community Rail Partnerships, will back the formation of CRPs in Scotland. Obviously, CBR is right behind the idea, and I for one am in no doubt that our membership will be first in line to sign up for any future Borders Railway CRP. That’s why we’ve already expressed an interest to Keith Brown, the Transport Minister.
“That is not the only development at CBR. With preparatory work already underway up and down the line to Tweedbank, we are looking at the question of where does the campaign go next? Of course, the answer is Melrose, Hawick and Carlisle! Seriously though, where do we next direct the emphasis, and the resources, of the campaign?
“Already, active members are putting together a list of things we’d like to do – including supporting the Borders Railway Project during the construction phase; and helping make sure the line is as successful as possible from Day One; and structuring our campaign efforts in pursuing our ultimate aim of re-establishing the whole route from Carlisle through the Borders and Midlothian to Edinburgh.
“We have had lots of ideas and suggestions already on specific things we should be doing to turn our aims into reality, and we need more from the whole membership and indeed from anyone who supports the railway. Whatever you feel CBR should be doing now and in the future, please do feel free to contact me, Simon Walton, at chairman.bordersrail@uwclub.net.
“If you feel you can be more active, even if only for an hour or two a month, then get in touch. There is plenty to do, from simply helping spread the word about campaign activities, to administration and helping with proposed events. Many hands make light work, and by working together we can make CBR even more effective. Wouldn’t it be great to be an active part of even greater successes in the years to come?
“We also need your help to upgrade our own lines of communication. With so much going on, would like to present a more frequent newsletter, but we can only afford to do that electronically. So, we’re contacting all our members, to ask for email addresses, or other ways to get in touch. If want to help with this urgent task, just drop me a line with your up-to-date contact details. Better still, encourage a friend to join as well.
“If you are a CBR member, watch out for Newsletter 43, coming soon by one means or another. If you’re not a member, join us now! Subscription and contact details are shown on the ‘Support Us’ page of the web site.”
CBR Chair Simon Walton reports:
“Michael Moore, MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk, and, incidentally, the Secretary of State for Scotland, met on Friday with Simon Walton and Richard Crockett, incoming chairman and outgoing vice chairman, respectively. As was said, it’s nice of the chairman to get to know the ordinary membership.
Courtesy of Modern Railways magazine, here is a link to the news pages of their December issue, which includes extensive coverage of the 6th November announcement. Just scroll down to Page 9 of the magazine.
