East West Rail’s potential ‘perfectly illustrated’ by huge success of reopened Scottish railway

Credit: East West Rail Company

A railway which has attracted almost three times as many passengers than originally forecast ‘perfectly illustrates the huge potential of East West Rail’, EWR Co CEO Beth West has said.

Borders Railway, which connects Edinburgh and Tweedbank in the Scottish Borders, provides the blueprint for East West Rail in terms of the regeneration it has delivered, including business investment, more jobs, increased footfall and a boost in tourism which is reaping rewards locally.

At 35 miles, it is a similar length to East West Rail’s proposed new section of railway linking Bedford and Cambridge, which is 38 miles. The former Varsity line and the Borders Railway (which was then known as the Waverley line) were both closed in the 1960s. Through services from Oxford to Cambridge ended in 1966 and the Borders Railway closed in 1969.

Leader of the Scottish Borders Council, Cllr Euan Jardine, said the project has massively exceeded expectations, providing a “boom” to overcome initial opposition to the railway.

He said that initially it was thought Borders Railway would carry around 600,000 passengers a year but by 2018/19 that figure has risen to 1,789,467. Such high demand led to Scotrail introducing more carriages and a more frequent service. It has been so successful that a £10 million feasibility study has now been commissioned to look at extending the line from its current terminus.

Cllr Jardine said the town of Galashiels, which is served by Borders Rail, used to be a struggling, run-down high street before the railway’s arrival, but is now a rejuvenated town centre today.

He said: “There was a whole political party set up to stop the railway being put into place because they felt it was going to be detrimental to the countryside. They felt there wouldn’t be any economic case for it, it was going to be a waste of money, but that has absolutely been forgotten about now because of the boom.

“It’s revolutionised Galashiels. We’ve got a lot of things happening. The streets used to have quite a few empty shops, but now, the shops are getting filled and people are coming in. Businesses have also started to invest in the Borders, businesses and law firms, which is very, very important for the local economy. But it’s also bringing people here to get them working.”

A Transport Committee session examining East West Rail heard earlier this month how Borders Rail has been “extraordinarily popular”, has generated “lots of economic development” and that “tourism has increased massively” as a result of the railway.*

Beth West, CEO, East West Railway Company, said: “Borders Railway is an outstanding example of how a railway can be transformational for local economies and communities, helping places flourish and become more dynamic and desirable to visit.

“The positive turnaround that has happened in Galashiels as a direct result of Borders Railway perfectly illustrates the huge potential of East West Rail to transform Bedford in particular, as well as to deliver real long-term benefits along the entire route from Oxford to Cambridge via Milton Keynes.

“Successful case studies like Borders Rail provide an encouraging and inspiring blueprint for East West Rail to deliver a huge, positive legacy for residents, business and economies across the route.”