Borders Railway: The region that got its railway back – BBC News

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For further comment, contact Secretary John Liddle secretary@campaignforbordersrail.org

Our Chair, Marion Short, has a busy life, and since the feasibility study for extending the Borders Railway and completing it to Carlisle has got under way, she’s got even busier.

In today’s Hawick Paper (5 September, page 11) Marion gives an update on her activities, including many interviews with the media BBC Radio Scotland, Greatest Hits Radio and ITV Borders. Along with CBR’s Technical Adviser, Peter Heubeck, there have been interviews with several national railway magazines.

Marion and others from CBR will shortly represent the Campaign at two events at the Great Tapestry in Galashiels to celebrate the 10th anniversary of reopening Phase 1 of the Borders Railway.

CBR continues to liaise with relevant politicians, and over the summer, along with the South of Scotland Destination Alliance, wrote to all the political parties inviting them to include a commitment to the railway extension in their manifestos.

Finally there’s a reminder of CBR’s AGM, which will be in Hawick Town Hall on Saturday 25 October from 12 noon to 4pm.

For further comment, contact Secretary John Liddle secretary@campaignforbordersrail.org

A brewery is raising a glass to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the reopening of Borders Railway by launching a new beer.

Tweedbank-based Tempest Brewery is proud to announce the release of a limited-edition beer, Fast Track 10, to mark the milestone.

This exclusive ale will be available to buy from September 9, marking its official launch date, and throughout the remainder of the month.

The Borders Railway, which was inaugurated by HRH The Queen in September 2015, has been a transformative infrastructure project, reconnecting communities and driving economic growth in the Scottish Borders and Midlothian regions.

The railway has successfully generated over 13 million passenger journeys across its 30-mile route, becoming a catalyst for social and economic change.

Fast Track 10 is a tribute to this remarkable achievement.

The name of the beer brings together three significant elements: the short travel time from Edinburgh to Tweedbank, the 10th anniversary of the railway’s opening, and the ten stations along the track from Waverley to Tweedbank.

With only 600 cans produced, this commemorative beer is a must-have for enthusiasts and supporters of the Borders Railway.

Annika Meiklejohn, co-owner of Tempest Brewing CO Ltd, said: “We are thrilled to be part of this celebration, the Borders Railway has had a profound impact on the success of Tempest Brewery and we wanted to create something special to mark this milestone. Fast Track 10 is a reflection of our pride in the railway’s success and our commitment to the Borders”.

Councillor Euan Jardine, leader of Scottish Borders Council, added: “The 10th anniversary of the Borders Railway is a landmark moment for our region. Over the last decade it has reconnected communities, boosted our economy, and transformed lives.

“The launch of Fast Track 10 is a creative way of marking this milestone, and I welcome the pride it represents in the railway’s success.”

Meanwhile, Councillor David Parker, SBC’s executive member for Health and Wellbeing, said: “The introduction of the new beer, crafted specially for this occasion, adds a unique touch to our celebratory event taking place on the 9th of September. It symbolises the innovation and collaboration that have been the hallmarks of our journey.

“I am thrilled to see it on sale and look forward to enjoying this special brew and commemorating this milestone with everyone who was part of the enormous effort to bring the railway back to the Borders.”

After its launch on September 9 at the anniversary event held at Tempest Brewery Taproom in Tweedbank, this commemorative beer will be pouring on tap with a limited number of cans available for purchase from the Tempest Brewery shop in Tweedbank.

For further comment, contact Secretary John Liddle secretary@campaignforbordersrail.org

CBR were delighted to hear Kate Forbes MSP, the Deputy First Minister, speak so strongly in favour of the success of the Borders Railway and the importance of the feasibility study into the case for extending the railway.

In a radio interview with Ally McGilvray on Greatest Hits Radio, she said how proud she was of the decision to build the railway and to have secured funding for the current feasibility study.

Ms Forbes emphasised the cross party support for the study, the strong support of the local Councils and the joint approach of the Scottish and UK Governments.

She finished by saying she looked forward to seeing the results of the study, “so that decisions can be made about what comes next.”

You can listen to the full interview below.

For further comment, contact Secretary John Liddle secretary@campaignforbordersrail.org

Campaign for Borders Rail’s Chris Norton has been invited to speak at a public meeting in Skipton Town Hall, Yorkshire, on 8 September at 7pm.

The meeting is organised by SELRAP (The Skipton East Lancashire Action Partnership) whose aim is to have the 12-mile link reopened between Skipton and Colne. That line closed on 1970, not long after the Waverley Route.
Chris will outline how our crusade in the sputh of Scotland achieved success.

https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/25399400.e-lancs-rail-campaign-meeting-hear-scottish-success/?fbclid=IwY2xjawMVAspleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHuBH4cZaalCbIpsuAOgEo6TJYUkClMcI05oGrAaW1XHsVtmvNz86LU-0WiMd_aem_vN3FzshAXsqH4ZHuXADwaw

For further comment, contact Secretary John Liddle secretary@campaignforbordersrail.org

Latest Newsletter from the Cumbrian Railways Association kindly supplied by the Publicity Office.

You can view the pages below or download a PDF.

For further comment, contact Secretary John Liddle secretary@campaignforbordersrail.org

In a joint initiative, Marion Short, the Chair of the Campaign for Borders Rail, and David Hope-Jones, Chief Executive of the South of Scotland Destination Alliance have written to the leaders of the five main political parties in Scotland, asking that a commitment to extend the Borders Railway be included in their manifestos for the 2026 Holyrood elections. Marion and David have offered to meet the leaders to explain the critical importance of the improved connectivity an extended railway would bring to the region  

For further comment, contact Secretary John Liddle secretary@campaignforbordersrail.org

A large timber processing plant in Moray has been granted planning permission for a rail connection and sidings. The West Fraser board factory near Dalcross is adjacent to the Inverness to Aberdeen railway line. Previous attempts to bring round timber to the plant by rail were frustrated by the lack of a direct rail connection to the plant. However, this was made easier by  additional work undertaken when the new station at nearby Dalcross was built. The development will be implemented in two phases, with the first trains operating next year and the project being completed in 2028. West Fraser hopes to eventually operate two trains per day, which they estimate will remove 20,000 HGV movements from local roads. This imaginative project could hold valuable lessons for timber processing plants supplied from Borders forests, especially if the railway is extended south from Tweedbank.  

For further comment, contact Secretary John Liddle secretary@campaignforbordersrail.org

On Wednesday 4th June, Marion Short and Peter Heubeck held a virtual meeting with Graeme Johnstone of Scottish Borders Council and Martyn Ross of Turner and Townsend, who SBC have recently appointed to project manage the feasibility study. Martyn described his rail industry experience. He had initially worked in railway vehicle construction and repair in Glasgow and had later worked in consultancy for a range of clients, including Network Rail, Transport for Wales and Transport Scotland. Martyn explained that he was busy meeting key stakeholders and familiarising himself with the detail of the transport appraisal process. After Marion had explained the history and role of CBR, there was a wide-ranging discussion of the problems caused by poor connectivity in the southern Borders and the transformation which an extension of the railway could bring about. The purpose of the meeting was to introduce Martyn to CBR and it was pleasing to hear his commitment to working with us and other key stakeholders in an open and consultative manner. 

For further comment, contact Secretary John Liddle secretary@campaignforbordersrail.org

On Friday 30th May, our Chair Marion Short and our Technical Adviser Peter Heubeck met Ms Julie Minns MP and her office manager at the constituency office in Carlisle. Julie, who was elected as the Carlisle MP at the recent General Election is a strong supporter of the Campaign and was one of our guest speakers at our 2024 AGM. Since becoming an MP, Julie has quickly been promoted to being a Parliamentary Private Secretary in the Department for Transport and she also chairs the cross-party group on the West Coast Main Line. Marion and Peter updated Julie on recent developments regarding the feasibility study and actions were agreed to support the study and to maintain political support for extending the railway. Marion also took the opportunity to present Julie with one of our new 10th anniversary mugs, which gave a nice photo opportunity!

For further comment, contact Secretary John Liddle secretary@campaignforbordersrail.org