Scottish Borders Railway - rebuilt Waverley Route link to Edinburgh

[whole diary]

[ellendune]

It is unlikely that anyone will ever again suggest ripping up a railway for a BRT^▸ (Bus Rapid Transit).

You would think not, but some people have very short memories. 

[John R]

but little has been built on the trackbed other than paths,

The dual carriageway Edinburgh Southern Bypass has been built over the route, resulting in a diversion to the bypass whilst they build a tunnel under it, and some flats have been demolished in Galashields, so not all plain sailing.

[TonyK]

You would think not, but some people have very short memories. 

Not in this coffee shop!

The dual carriageway Edinburgh Southern Bypass has been built over the route, resulting in a diversion to the bypass whilst they build a tunnel under it, and some flats have been demolished in Galashields, so not all plain sailing.

I forgot about that.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Scottish Herald:

Campaigners insist Waverley Line is viable

The Campaign for Borders Rail has insisted that a re-opened Waverley Line is viable.

Simon Walton, who chairs the campaign, denied the controversial ^350 million project was ever predicated on new housing along the route but was about righting the long-standing social injustice that the people of Midlothian and the Borders were deprived of access to the rail network. He said: "Every single study, prior to the opening of a railway project this century has grossly underestimated the patronage, and has failed to take into account the wider social and economic benefits accrued."

The Herald reported on Saturday that consultants believed the numbers who would make return journeys between Edinburgh and Tweeddale would fall from 976,000 to 647,000 if new housing was not built along the route.

Mr Walton said: "If the snapshot report by Ernst & Young for Transport Scotland had been compiled at a peak rather than a trough in the economic cycle, the findings would be different, and much more positive. Furthermore, it should be noted significant work has already started, and that contracts have been signed by the Transport Minister Keith Brown for the construction of the line."

He said comparisons with the Edinburgh tram project are unjust. "While funding of the Borders Railway was subject to some experimental schemes, it is in the hands of Network Rail and its contractors, who have considerable experience in the field, and are demonstrating such up and down the route already."

Mr Walton hit out at former councillor Nicholas Watson, a critic of the line, claiming it was such opposition which had led to cost increases and led to him being rejected at the ballot box. He added: "Business bodies such as the Federation of Small Businesses and the Borders Chamber of Commerce have pledged their support."

[Chris from Nailsea]

From The Scotsman:

Borders Railway ^will be ready by September 2015^

Passengers will be able to travel on the Borders Railway again in September 2015 after a gap of 46 years, Network Rail has confirmed.

The builders of the 30-mile Edinburgh to Tweedbank line, south of Galashiels, said the opening date would enable training for ScotRail train drivers after construction is completed in June 2015.

However, David Simpson, the firm^s Scotland route managing director, told The Scotsman last November that even finishing the work by June was ^challenging^.

Major work is due to start next month on the scheme, which has suffered a series of delays, while the cost has soared to ^350 million. It comprises one third of the former 98-mile Waverley route between Edinburgh-Carlisle, which closed in 1969.

The Scottish Government^s Transport Scotland agency, which is in charge of the project, still hopes ^to have the railway in place^ by the end of 2014.

Campaign for Borders Rail chairman Simon Walton said: ^The scope of the project is huge, not made any easier by decisions made many decades ago to dismantle the infrastructure and not fully protect the right of way. The Borders Railway is a vastly better engineered project than the old ^Waverley Route^. This is not simply a case of relaying railway lines. It is inevitable that unforeseen challenges will arise, and I don^t doubt that the construction partners will have many issues to concern them before hand over.

^However, with the 50th anniversary of the infamous Beeching report later this month [which closed the line], I^d rather concentrate on the progress that^s being made already and the certainty that Midlothian and the Borders are on the brink of a great new social and economic opportunity.^

David Spaven, author of Waverley Route: The Life, Death and Rebirth of the Borders Railway, said: ^Network Rail has been put under undue pressure by Transport Scotland to deliver the project in super-fast time, for political reasons. But transforming 30^ miles of abandoned line of route, 121 bridges and two tunnels into a fast, safe and sustainable transport link is a very substantial engineering task - in fact the longest rail re-opening project in modern British history. The key point is that the Borders Railway is coming, and late summer 2015 looks like a reasonable and robust target for the start of train services.^

A Transport Scotland spokeswoman said: ^There is no change to the timetable for delivery of the new Borders Railway. Transport Scotland and Network Rail expect to see the line completed in summer 2015 and services operating soon after. The line will be complete in June of that year with services beginning three months later to allow for driver training on the route.^

[swrural]

These articles keep popping up.  I normally have great respect for Scots political discussion, as being educated, but in this case, I cannot understand why some MSPs^▸ (Member of Scottish Parliament) are still writing in and moaning that it should not happen, when the job is actually underway?

It's like here in the SW saying IEP^▸ (Intercity Express Program / Project.) should not go ahead.

[Red Squirrel]

Salmond hints at Carlisle extension to Borders rail

THE prospect of re-opening the entire Waverley rail line between Edinburgh and Carlisle has been raised by Alex Salmond.

The First Minister said he expected the return of trains to the Edinburgh-Tweedbank section next year would be ^profoundly successful^ and act as a catalyst for restoring the rest of the historic route.

He said the success of the 30-mile stretch to just south of Galashiels would ^calibrate^ any future feasibility study into re-building the remaining 70 miles.

See full article in The Scotsman: http://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/salmond-hints-at-carlisle-extension-to-borders-rail-1-3387725

[eightf48544]

There is an article in May's Modern Railway about the Borders iine with some interesting photos.

I thought it was a fairly straight forward re-instement but teh pictures show it to be far from teh case with some large structures having to be built and roads diverted.

How would Bere Alson Okehampton compare?

[TonyK]

How would Bere Alson Okehampton compare?

Favourably. There are some council offices in the way, butt not a lot else.

[Red Squirrel]

And actually I understand that they would be favourably disposed to shift said butts.

[TonyK]

And actually I understand that they would be favourably disposed to shift said butts.

Indeed so - they have made it clear there is no emotional attachment to the buildings, and they would be happy to see them bulldozed in favour of the railway. It's been a cause of red faces that West Devon Council has in recent years been keen to stop any construction on the trackbed, yet is the only major blockage in Tavistock. Could be a good excuse for a few redundancies too.

Property isn't a big deal in building railways, so long as there isn't too much of it. Greater Manchester's transport body bought quite a few houses and rented them to tenants until the time came to demolish them. The first preparatory jobs for the Oldham town centre tram route were the building of a funeral parlour and a Baptist church, plus demolition of the former buildings. Elsewhere, a boys' club was rebuilt a few yards away from the rotting corrugated iron hut they used before. No-one complained.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Edinburgh Evening News:

Bid to re-open Portobello railway station


The Talisman Express passes through Portobello Station. Picture: TSPL

Campaigners are pushing to re-open Portobello Railway station to the public 50 years after a decision was made to close it.

The station has not been in use since 1964, but would be reopened under ambitious proposals being put forward by Portobello Community Council.

Engineering issues and cost had previously derailed bids to revive the station, but it is understood the Borders Railway project will soon resolve one of the main obstacles.

Portobello Junction is to be remodelled to allow for a greater frequency of trains and campaigners are hopeful any upgrade work will allow for a station reopening.

All that remains is the station master^s house, which sits at Station Brae, off Brighton Place.

Portobello community councillor Max Blinkhorn said: ^It^s early days but the Borders Railway remodelling should lead to costs coming down significantly. There would obviously be other hoops such as having to prove that a Portobello Station would be worthwhile and attracting necessary funding, but there^s a real appetite for it locally. It would make Portobello and the promenade a real destination. It would be a great thing for the area.^

Portobello station was originally closed as part of the swingeing cuts to the network following the publication of the Beeching Report in 1963.

Members of the Capital Rail Action Group (Crag) are of the belief that running trains through Portobello would dramatically reduce journey times for those travelling in and out of the city centre ^ a five-minute train ride compared to a 30-minute bus service.
 Portobello is by no means the only local community looking to reopen its old rail station. In East Lothian, East Linton residents have been asking for a rail service linking them to Edinburgh for years.

It would appear that the Scottish Government is listening as it has asked companies bidding for the next ScotRail franchise to include the cost of a Berwick-upon-Tweed to Edinburgh service stopping at new stations at East Linton and Reston, in the Borders.

A report commissioned by the South East Scotland transport partnership has also been published showing that such a service has a strong business case and would be possible without disrupting London trains.

Rail operator Network Rail said at present it has no plan to reopen Portobello Station but remains open to Scottish Government instruction or any third party bid.

A Network Rail spokesman said: ^We are always open to discuss third-party proposals to enhance the railway, but any project of this nature would have to be supported by a viable business case, have a funding package and meet a clear need.^

The station was opened in 1846 by the North British Railway. During its lifetime it was served by most passenger trains running out of the east end of Waverley including stopping trains on the Berwick and Carlisle main lines and through trains to towns such as Musselburgh, North Berwick, Gifford, Penicuik and Dalkeith.

There was also a service to South Leith from a separate platform. Following the opening of Leith Central in 1903, the South Leith service was rapidly run down and withdrawn in 1905.

Originally Portobello was not included in the list of stations proposed for closure in Dr Becching^s Reshaping of British Railways report of March 1963, but was added later and closed on September 7, 1964.

[grahame]

Members of the Capital Rail Action Group (Crag) are of the belief that running trains through Portobello would dramatically reduce journey times for those travelling in and out of the city centre ^ a five-minute train ride compared to a 30-minute bus service.


The buses run every few minutes, and I suspect that a train service to compete with that would need to be quite high frequency.   The attraction of a five minute train journey could so easily turn into a frustration if the choice was bus (5 minutes wait and 30 mins journey) or train (30 minute wait and 5 mins journey)

[Dark Star]

To assist the public Timetables are printed.
Turn up at station 5 mins before train. In town within 10mins, if on bus still 20 mins from town on the bus!

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Border Telegraph:

Housing levy cash falls short as railway payment day looms for SBC

The bill for the Borders Railway is, according to last year^s estimate from Transport Scotland, due to top ^353 million when trains finally start running next September.



And although construction work is half completed, Scottish Borders Council has so far not paid a penny towards the cost of the project.

That surprising revelation has come in a response to a Freedom of Information enquiry which asks simply: ^How much has the council spent on the Borders Railway project to date?^

The terse reply states: ^SBC has not spent any money on the railway; the project to date has been grant funded by Transport Scotland.^

Back in 2004, the council agreed to commit ^7.4 million over the first 30 years of the project, the cash to be raised from ^developer contributions^ levied against successful planning applications for new houses which would benefit from the railway.

Last December, the council sanctioned the use of ^250,000 towards the design of new stations. And as recently as last month, the council agreed to spend ^190,000 over two years on the appointment of two new officials to manage ^benefits realisation work^ linked to the railway^s delivery.

Seeking clarification of when these moneys will be spent, the Border Telegraph has discovered that, so far, just ^810,000 has been raised in railway-related developer contributions. And the council^s phased funding commitment to the project^s construction has risen to ^8.7 million.

Levied originally in the Central Borders Housing Market Area (HMA), developer contributions were extended to the North Ettrick and Lauderdale HMA in 2006 when the railway legislation confirmed the inclusion of a station at Stow.

The current contribution per new residential property in these areas has been set at ^1,734 per unit.

A council spokesperson told us: ^The costs of the initial enabling works and project development costs have been funded in full by Transport Scotland. As part of the future funding package, SBC, along with Midlothian and the City of Edinburgh councils, is due to pass developer contributions to Network Rail to part-fund the costs of the railway.

^SBC contributions total ^8.7 million over the next 30 years. The first payment of contributions totalling ^1 million is due one year after the first train runs and the council has already collected the majority [81 per cent] of the sum due. The remaining contributions will be collected and passed to Network Rail based on an annual payment schedule which can be flexed if there are any delays or accelerations in the collection of developer contributions.

^Last year elected members approved a range of projects including expenditure of up to ^250,000 - funded by the return of surplus police and fire reserves from the former Lothian and Borders joint boards - to deliver a range of enhancements to the fabric of new stations in the Borders. So far it has been possible to negotiate these enhancements with Network Rail without drawing on this funding.  In the event that the money is not required to enhance stations, a further report will be submitted to council seeking members^ views on the deployment of these monies to meet priorities.

^A total of ^95,000 per annum has been identified by the council for two years to help co-ordinate delivery of the benefits of the Borders Railway. The funding will be used to pay for staff time to co-ordinate a range of economic development projects, including railway linked inward investment and the promotion of the region as a place to do business.

^Other activities include visitor marketing, transport linkages and the development of strategic business sites. The funding will ensure over the next two years that the economic benefits of the railway investment are maximised. The additional staff resource will be put in place as soon as possible.^

Finally, the Border Telegraph wanted to know who will pay for road, bridge and other infrastructure repairs resulting from the railway^s construction. The spokesperson told us: ^SBC wrote on Jun 17 to [main contractors] BAM Nuttall expressing its concerns over the state of some roads affected by the Borders Railway project and have sought a response from BAM on a joint agreement to remedy this situation as a matter of urgency. Both parties will continue to work together constructively to ensure the best possible outcomes.^