Borders Railway

Borders Railway
Class 158 at Galashiels, August 2015
Overview
OwnerNetwork Rail
LocaleEdinburgh
Midlothian
Scottish Borders
Termini
Stations9
Websitebordersrailway.co.uk
Service
TypeHeavy rail
SystemNational Rail
Operator(s)ScotRail
Depot(s)Tweedbank, Edinburgh Craigentinny
Rolling stockClass 158
Class 170
Ridership2,016,186 (2019)[1]
History
Opened6 September 2015 (2015-09-06)
Technical
Line length35 miles 25 chains (56.8 km)
Number of tracksSingle track
(three passing loops)
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
ElectrificationOHLE Waverley to Newcraighall,
unelectrified Newcraighall to Tweedbank
Operating speed90 mph (145 km/h) max.
Highest elevation880 ft (270 m)
Route map

The Borders Railway connects the city of Edinburgh with Galashiels and Tweedbank in the Scottish Borders. The railway follows most of the alignment of the northern part of the Waverley Route, a former double-track line in southern Scotland and northern England that ran between Edinburgh and Carlisle. That line was controversially closed in 1969, as part of the Beeching cuts, leaving the Borders region without any access to the National Rail network. Following the closure, a campaign to revive the Waverley Route emerged. Discussion on reopening the northern part of the line came to a head during the early 2000s. Following deliberations in the Scottish Parliament, the Waverley Railway (Scotland) Act 2006 received royal assent in June 2006. The project was renamed the "Borders Railway" in August 2008, and building works began in November 2012. Passenger service on the line began on 6 September 2015, whilst an official opening by Queen Elizabeth II took place on 9 September.

The railway was rebuilt as a non-electrified, largely single-track line. Several surviving Waverley Route structures, including viaducts and tunnels, were rehabilitated and reused for the reopened railway. Passenger services run half-hourly on weekdays until 20:00, and hourly until 23:54 and on Sundays. The timetable also allows charter train promoters to run special excursion services, and for the weeks following the line opening scheduled steam trains were run.

  1. ^ "Passenger numbers rise adds to pressure for extension of Borders Railway". The Southern Reporter. 20 January 2020. Archived from the original on 5 May 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020.