Borders Railway - Now Open

[fegguk]

When can we expect an announcement on the start of the real delivery phase?

Work is supposed to start in November this year

 

[railjock]

Work is supposed to start in November this year

I was at a Network Rail presentation on the Borders Railway held by CRAG ( Capital Rail Action Group ) last night and contracts expected to be signed for full delivery phase in a matter of weeks. Hard to believe that it is actually going to happen.

 

[kylemore]

I imagine the announcement will be hyped to the rafters with everybody and their granny claiming credit!
If there's something they need now it's a good news rail story.

 

[fegguk]

I imagine the announcement will be hyped to the rafters with everybody and their granny claiming credit!
If there's something they need now it's a good news rail story.

It was definitely my idea, which I have been planning since 1968, aged 3.

Seriously, I think people in the Borders will only start to believe it when gangs of Irish gentlemen start to turn up with picks and shovels. They may be surprised that it’s not the same gangs that were here in 1847-49.

 

[clc]

It is definitely going to happen, no doubt about it.

 

[kylemore]

It was definitely my idea, which I have been planning since 1968, aged 3.

Seriously, I think people in the Borders will only start to believe it when gangs of Irish gentlemen start to turn up with picks and shovels. They may be surprised that it’s not the same gangs that were here in 1847-49.

Followed no doubt by indignant reports in the Galashiels Bugle or whatever it's called, of shocking scenes of drunkeness and fighting on payday 1840s style

 

[fegguk]

Followed no doubt by indignant reports in the Galashiels Bugle or whatever it's called, of shocking scenes of drunkeness and fighting on payday 1840s style

Well such things might be less noticable in Gala today.

There is a lot of ignorance about the project, spread in no small part by the NIMBYism and misinformation of the Borders Party and their ilk that have been campaigning against the railway since rebuilding was first seriously considered. Some no doubt are continuing where others left off in the 1840’s.

Is there any other part of the country where people would campaign so vehemently against a LOCAL railway project? Once it’s built, successful and petrol costs head to 2.00 a litre, HAWICK NEXT will seem a better slogan on the hustings than No trains please were from Melrose.

I hope none of the politicians that are trying to save us from the modern world get too close to the train at the reopening ceremony. We don’t want a repeat of the events at the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester however good the publicity boost might be. Some of them will do anything to get in the papers.

 

[kylemore]

We don’t want a repeat of the events at the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester however good the publicity boost might be. Some of them will do anything to get in the papers.

Don't we??

I'd have half the line covered in tied up politicos, I'd even grow a twirly moustache to match my top hat and cape.

It would be a very bumpy inaugural run I'm afraid!

Seriously tho you're right, the need for martyr and victim status these days is so great people will queue up to moan about just about anything!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

The promoters of the Bill were adamant that the service would be all stops to Tweedbank every 30 minutes ie an extension of the existing Newcraighall service. The dynamic loops identified in the Bill were/are intended to make this service pattern optimal. Despite frequent reassurances to the contrary there still is a certain amount of belief here in the borders that the railway will be cancelled or terminated at Gorebridge.

Looking again at Tweedbank, has there been a census of opinion taken from the workforce on the sizable industrial estate there, which would give a station passenger usage in total when combined with the travelling intentions of the resident population.

 

[fegguk]

Looking again at Tweedbank, has there been a census of opinion taken from the workforce on the sizable industrial estate there, which would give a station passenger usage in total when combined with the travelling intentions of the resident population.

I assume so however it probably focused on people using Tweedbank as a park and ride for a very good reason. It’s fair to assume that most of the people who work in Tweedbank live in the Borders and other than Galashiels and Stow won't have a railway station to catch trains from. This is one of the projects limitations it's not really a Borders Railway as it only enables people to travel to and from the Borders not within the Borders. Anyone travelling to Tweedbank by public transport from within the Borders either has a direct bus service (Peeblesshire) or needs to change at Gala, those needing to change at Gala might opt for the train. The train is not going to make travel to Tweedbank or Gala much easier for most Borderers though it will greatly reduce the travel time to Edinburgh by public transport.

If we ignore Stow (its small), there will no doubt be some people who live in Gala that will use the train to travel to work in Tweedbank and visa versa. It will depend how close they live to the station and bus routes, walking to Tweedbank is an option to some. The railway will certainly make it easier to travel from Edinburgh and Midlothian to work in Gala and Tweedbank though most of the work related travel is the other way.

To make a real change to public transport within the Borders the line will need to be extended to Hawick with a bus interchange at St Boswells to serve Kelso and Jedburgh separately. This did not return a very good cost benefit ratio when examined in the original Scott Wilson report, it remains a political aspiration and probably the economics of car ownership and use to change. The busiest part of the line pre 1969 was between Hawick and Galashiels.

 

[CalumCookable]

If the line is ever re-opened past Tweedbank, a station at the Borders General Hospital seems like a good idea?

If we look back a few decades to the re-opening of the Edinburgh-Bathgate line, it was built on the cheap with a single track and no electrification. There was an hourly service and no Sunday service. A half-hourly service and Sunday service came later. Now that the Airdrie-Bathgate line has been built, the Edinburgh-Bathgate line is twin-track throughout, electrified, and has a service every 15 minutes.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

To make a real change to public transport within the Borders the line will need to be extended to Hawick with a bus interchange at St Boswells to serve Kelso and Jedburgh separately.

Did the Class 17 "Clayton" diesel locomotives ever operate in the Hawick area in their time ?

 

[furryfeet]

Did the Class 17 "Clayton" diesel locomotives ever operate in the Hawick area in their time ?

Yes, they were regulars on the line the 1960's.
Mostly used on local trip / pilot duties.
Double-headed they even worked freights all the way to Kingmoor.

Most famously, a class 17 was sent to Newcastleton to keep the gates open on 06 jan 1969 to let the last passenger train through.

 

[exile]

I've seen a video of a pair of Claytons hauling a Dundee-Blackpool service near Hawick.

 

[railjock]

Not sure what the point of this article is as there is absolutely nothing new in it.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/...y-could-be-next-capital-tram-debacle.19139123

 

[thedbdiboy]

There is a lot of ignorance about the project, spread in no small part by the NIMBYism and misinformation of the Borders Party and their ilk that have been campaigning against the railway since rebuilding was first seriously considered.

Human nature, ay? Campaign against building in the first place. Then campaign against closing it. Then campaign about reopening it again.....

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Not sure what the point of this article is as there is absolutely nothing new in it.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/...y-could-be-next-capital-tram-debacle.19139123

Just an easy method for "political points scoring" by politicians whose party is not the main one in order to to make political mischief.

I do like the "headmasterly way" that the finance spent was already committed in the existing programme was explained at the foot of the report. Rather reminiscent of erring children being shown the error of their ways.

 

[class26]

As I recall in BR days the line speed was around 55 mph.

I think i`ve read somwwhere that the new line will be for 60 mph

 

[CalumCookable]

100mph according to Campaign for Borders Rail http://www.campaignforbordersrail.org/faqs.html

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

100mph according to Campaign for Borders Rail http://www.campaignforbordersrail.org/faqs.html

When did Transport Scotland actually make the official announcement of the 100mph limit ?

 

[CalumCookable]

When did Transport Scotland actually make the official announcement of the 100mph limit ?

I don't know if they ever did. Thinking about it a bit more, considering the length of the line, number of stops, and journey time, it seems pretty improbable that the trains will reach 100mph.

 

[michael769]

Given the nature of the line I'd be surprised it it was built to more than 85mph. The campaigns 100mph figure is probably "aspirational"

 

[DaveNewcastle]

I was surprised to read that claim, too.

Considering that a very short part of the new line actually runs on the existing ECML between Waverley and Portobello, there's an opportunity to claim that services over part of the line could run at ECML speeds, but even that only reaches 95mph to the east of Portobello Junction.

But lets not allow the railways to get in the way of some creative journalism!

 

[kjhskj75]

It says 50 minutes Edinburgh - Galashiels. Now that's 33½ miles, which makes an average of about 40mph.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

It says 50 minutes Edinburgh - Galashiels. Now that's 33½ miles, which makes an average of about 40mph.

Has anyone contacted Campaign for Borders Rail to ask where their authority to use the term "100mph" in their website material eminated from ?

 

[class26]

Given the nature of the line I'd be surprised it it was built to more than 85mph. The campaigns 100mph figure is probably "aspirational"

Yes, we must remember that this is a pressure group so it is NOT fact, just a wish list.

 

[route:oxford]

Has anyone contacted Campaign for Borders Rail to ask where their authority to use the term "100mph" in their website material eminated from ?

Maybe you should ask them? If you have been given the authority to ask them of course...

If it's built with say, a planned use of 90mph, isn't there a factor built into the building quality? ie, it would be dreadful if a train were to hit 91mph and the infrastructure were to collapse...

 

[class26]

Maybe you should ask them? If you have been given the authority to ask them of course...

If it's built with say, a planned use of 90mph, isn't there a factor built into the building quality? ie, it would be dreadful if a train were to hit 91mph and the infrastructure were to collapse...

My understanding is that theres always a 10% allowance ie speed limits set at 10 % below the safe level. Correct me anyone if thats wrong !

 

[cjp]

Uh??? Really? On a railway that sees just 11 trains each way per day ? I don't doubt the new service was a success but surely that figure is a typo?

Well as I said elsewhere

http://hitrans.org.uk/Documents/Item...ge_Station.pdf

They might be wrong in their prediction since for Beauly in 2002 they predicted 7,500 passengers but as at 2008 the number was 52,000 thanks to the more regular train service.

And of course if there were only 20 commuters at Beauly and 15 now go by train that would be a 75% swap to train Of course teh numbers suggest differently

 

[Chris125]

Borders Railway costs up another £50m

THE cost of the Borders Railway is expected to rise by another £50 million this week when a key contract is signed to begin its long-awaited construction.

They also believe the route between Edinburgh and Tweedbank, south of Galashiels, will not be re-opened until late 2015 – a year later than planned.

Chris