Why a Borders Railway?

Fairness:

• the Borders is the only region of Britain without a passenger train service
• 32% of Galashiels households (and 38% in Hawick) do not have a car
• Highland Council can boast 59 railway stations within its territory – but Scottish Borders Council has none!

Employment opportunities:

• rail will allow easier access to employment opportunities in Midlothian and Edinburgh
• the train operator will create a new operations base at the Tweedbank terminus
• timetabled service trains will bring new spend to Borders’ businesses
• charter trains and luxury land cruises could bring £500,000 new spend into the Borders economy every year

Insurance for the future:

• the dominant transport in the Borders is the car, and all passenger and freight transport moves by road, making the region totally dependent on a single mode of transport
• climate change and ‘Peak Oil’ (the peaking of global oil production) will lead to dramatic energy price rises, making the region particularly vulnerable without a railway
• with a reliable and energy-efficient railway, the Borders will be much better equipped to face the economic, social and environmental hazards of an uncertain future

Sustainable tourism:

• Borders tourism is very much car-based at present, leaving the region vulnerable to energy supply shortages and price hikes
• the Highland rail routes carry tens of thousands of tourists annually – on normal service trains, charter trains, and luxury ‘land cruise’ trains such as the Royal Scotsman
• fast and comfortable trains would bring concentrated tourist spending power into the Borders, tapping into the vast number of visitors in Edinburgh