Borders Railway - Now Open

[najaB]

...but then again Edinburgh Waverley isn't a terminus...

Based on it's history, I think it is fair to say that Waverly is two terminus stations back to back.

 

[reb0118]

Waverley is two terminus stations back to back.

It has been described as a double sided comb - one side has more broken teeth than the other!

 

[DaveNewcastle]

i am delighted to see that many of the dates for the steam journeys are sold out

BUT

it is somewhat disappointing that they have not thought about having some return trips starting from galashiels/tweedbank

I am sure there are many of a certain age in the borders who would love to spend a few hours in Edinburgh . . . .

Good point!
And one which I hadn't thought of, either.
I guess these would be just as attractive to people within easy driving distance of Gala (e.g. N.Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cumbria, Dumfries & Galloway) as well as the closer communities of the Borders and Northumberland.

 

[edwin_m]

Does the timetable and ticketing allow people from the southern end of the route to use steam one way and the diesel service the other?

 

[Daz9284]

Good point!
And one which I hadn't thought of, either.
I guess these would be just as attractive to people within easy driving distance of Gala (e.g. N.Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cumbria, Dumfries & Galloway) as well as the closer communities of the Borders and Northumberland.

I wouldn't class North Yorkshire really as it would take me 3.5 hours to drive to Gala, yet I can get to Edinburgh in about 2 hours 15 mins on the train

Even at the Northern extents of North yorks, it would be quicker to get train to edinburgh than drive to Gala (unless of course you are near the most North western part of North yorks which is close to Carlisle

Regards
Darryl

 

[oldman]

Does the timetable and ticketing allow people from the southern end of the route to use steam one way and the diesel service the other?

It would be easy to take a diesel up to Edinburgh, travel back on the special and no-show for the return trip. Going north the special is diesel hauled so it wouldn't work that way. The excursion fare includes Scotrail travel to and from Edinburgh.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Just returned home to find that our postman had delivered my copy of the September issue of Rail Engineer. Pages 12-16 have an article on Borders Railway and pages 18-22 have an article on the Bowshank tunnel.

 

[fegguk]

My last post featured down trains so to finish on a positive note here are some up the trains.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOLRe2ITMV4

 

[Carntyne]

This time next week trains will be running. Looking forward to it.

 

[PaxVobiscum]

Just returned home to find that our postman had delivered my copy of the September issue of Rail Engineer. Pages 12-16 have an article on Borders Railway and pages 18-22 have an article on the Bowshank tunnel.

Thanks Paul. The Borders Railway article is also online: http://www.railengineer.uk/2015/08/27/borders-railway-complete/

The Bowshank one may be as well but I can't find it.

 

[clc]

Scotrail say there's been huge demand for the steam trains: https://mobile.twitter.com/ScotRail/status/639089987007463424?p=v

 

[hibtastic]

It has been described as a double sided comb - one side has more broken teeth than the other!

Looking forward to seeing the additional IEP terminus platforms added to the eastern side of the station over the next few years.

 

[swt_passenger]

Looking forward to seeing the additional IEP terminus platforms added to the eastern side of the station over the next few years.

Odd how they haven't mentioned that anywhere official...

 

[hibtastic]

Odd how they haven't mentioned that anywhere official...

http://www.egip.info/projects/edinburgh-waverley-platform-extensions-infrastructure-works

here you go

 

[iain-j]

Looking forward to seeing the additional IEP terminus platforms added to the eastern side of the station over the next few years.

Maybe some day they will reinstate all the east end platforms that were taken away after all the former easterly routes were removed.

 

[swt_passenger]

http://www.egip.info/projects/edinburgh-waverley-platform-extensions-infrastructure-works

here you go

I'd been looking in Network Rail IEP stuff though, where it isn't mentioned. That seems to be considering capacity for EGIP (up to) 8 car units?

 

[hibtastic]

I'd been looking in Network Rail IEP stuff though, where it isn't mentioned. That seems to be considering capacity for EGIP (up to) 8 car units?

It does mention creation of long length platforms at the western and eastern ends of the station. This information below relates to the extension of platforms 5 and 6 to create two new long length platforms for traffic from the south (I knew I had seen it somewhere).

http://www.egip.info/news/2014/08/£25m-investment-is-platform-for-increased-capacity-at-waverley

The platforms will extend through the old taxi rank adjacent to platforms 10 and 11.

 

[Altnabreac]

I'd been looking in Network Rail IEP stuff though, where it isn't mentioned. That seems to be considering capacity for EGIP (up to) 8 car units?

Well it's essentially a zero sum game. Anything which creates capacity for some services also creates overall capacity for others.

At the moment passenger services entering Waverley from the east consist of something like:

• Scotrail - North Berwick (18 out of 22 terminate Edinburgh on weekdays)
• Scotrail - Dunbar (3 out of 4 terminate Edinburgh on weekdays)
• Scotrail - Borders (29 out of 33 terminate Edinburgh on weekdays)
• Cross Country (5 out of 15 terminate Edinburgh on weekdays)
• East Coast (17 out of 23 terminate Edinburgh on weekdays)

These services either use the short east facing platforms 3 and 4 or they occupy a through platform.

As capacity is most constrained in the western throat then services from the east either have to link to onward westbound services or reverse in the platform which uses more platform capacity.

If you build addditional east facing platforms then this frees up capacity in the through platforms. At 8 coaches long the new platofrms 5 and 6 will be able to take all the Scotrail services and most of the Cross Country services.

It doesn't really matter that IEPs won't usually use the new platforms as they will still benefit from the overall capacity increase.

So overall of 97 services coming into Edinburgh from the east today 25 are through services while 72 terminate. Of the terminating services 55 (76%) will be able to use the new platforms if required while 17 (24%) will still need to use through platforms.

Ultimately of course this capacity enables more services from the busier westbound throat to be run through Waverley to turnback east of the station and increase the capacity of the western throat.

This is why the scheme falls under EGIP ultimately as the western throat capacity issues are more problematic than the eastern ones.

 

[iain-j]

I have read this document which has a section on the new platforms proposed for Waverley


on page 304 is where is starts

http://www.sestran.gov.uk/files/1411132956.pdf

doesn't say a lot about platform lengths but lets you visualise what the lengths could be.

 

[Tio Terry]

You may find this interesting. I think the reference to 30 miles of new railway being the longest domestic railway for over 100 years is wrong, HS1 carries domestic services, is longer and fairly new.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-34107724

 

[railjock]

You may find this interesting. I think the reference to 30 miles of new railway being the longest domestic railway for over 100 years is wrong, HS1 carries domestic services, is longer and fairly new.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-34107724

It may have some domestic services but was not primarily built as a domestic railway. Thought I'd join the pedantic club.

 

[47271]

You may find this interesting. I think the reference to 30 miles of new railway being the longest domestic railway for over 100 years is wrong, HS1 carries domestic services, is longer and fairly new.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-34107724

If it helps, and to minimise the risk of repetition, this point was already discussed around 20 items back in this thread.

 

[fegguk]

Sorry there is no detailed video of the Golden ticket trip from Tweedbank just some sights and sounds from the day. Hopefully enough to give a flavour of the event.

https://youtu.be/Gcs7toIxfuA

 

[theblackwatch]

Six car Class 158s at Tweedbank this morning, obviously expecting crowds....

 

[JonathanH]

Six car Class 158s at Tweedbank this morning, obviously expecting crowds....

Six car 170 for the first passengers from Edinburgh - units 170414 and 170458.

 

[Blindtraveler]

I would assume 1 or both of you are out for first trains? Seams weard seeing the 09:11x EDB going further than Newcraighall on NRE. Im out tomorrow

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

There was a section of the BBC TV morning programme about the re-opening this morning with shots from inside a carriage.

However, in the final programme discussions, the matter of single track sections and bridges only to span single track line which would all have to be rebuilt if the line was ever doubled, was raised.

 

[JonathanH]

Six car 170 for the first passengers from Edinburgh - units 170414 and 170458.

Just crossed 158701+158716+158727 at Shawfair on the first Edinburgh-bound service.

Plenty of photographers out to record the first services on a sunny morning.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Im glad some sharp journo has picked up on that, maybe not the day for it though?

 

[JonathanH]

Just crossed 158701+158716+158727 at Shawfair on the first Edinburgh-bound service.

Plenty of photographers out to record the first services on a sunny morning.

Six car 170 for the first passengers from Edinburgh - units 170414 and 170458.

Six car Class 158s at Tweedbank this morning, obviously expecting crowds....

And 158714+158712+158718 on the third diagram crossed at Stow.