{"id":404175,"date":"2025-09-07T02:40:17","date_gmt":"2025-09-07T02:40:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/404175\/"},"modified":"2025-09-07T02:40:17","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T02:40:17","slug":"first-minister-john-swinney-marks-10th-anniversary-of-borders-rail-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/404175\/","title":{"rendered":"First Minister John Swinney marks 10th anniversary of Borders rail line"},"content":{"rendered":"

John Swinney has promised a \u201cgreener, fairer, more connected future\u201d for rail in Scotland as he helped to mark the 10th anniversary of the Borders rail line.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A decade after the line opened to the public the Scottish First Minister said it had \u201cexceeded expectations\u201d.<\/p>\n

Since the Borders rail line \u2013 which was officially opened by the late Queen Elizabeth II \u2013 first started carrying passengers there have been more than 13 million passenger journeys, with the service seen as a vital transport link for residents, commuters and visitors.<\/p>\n

The Scottish Government invested \u00a3353 million in the route \u2013 which runs from Edinburgh to Tweedbank in the Scottish Borders \u2013 with seven new railway stations built as part of the project.<\/p>\n

When it reopened it re-established part of the former Waverley line, which had been axed in the Beeching cuts in 1969, leaving the Borders region without any access to the National Rail network.<\/p>\n

However, with train services having now been operating for a decade, it is estimated the Borders line has reduced peak-time car journeys by around 60,000 a year.<\/p>\n

Mr Swinney and Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop joined local MSP Christine Grahame at a special event to mark the line\u2019s anniversary.<\/p>\n

About 100 invited guests, including representatives from the railway sector and the local community, were also at the event, held at the Great Tapestry of Scotland Museum in Galashiels.<\/p>\n

There, Mr Swinney said \u201cthe Borders Railway is more than steel and stations \u2013 it is a story of ambition, collaboration and resilience\u201d.<\/p>\n

The First Minister stated: \u201cTen years on, it has exceeded expectations, connected communities and laid the foundation for future growth.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is clear to see the impact of the Scottish Government\u2019s \u00a3353 million investment in 2015. The 30 miles of new railway and seven new stations have delivered major economic and social development opportunities within the region and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n

The anniversary comes the day after Ms Hyslop had announced \u00a3342 million of investment for the railways to help fund the electrification of the Borders and Fife routes by 2031 \u2013 with Mr Swinney saying this would make \u201cservices greener, more reliable, and more accessible\u201d.<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cToday we can look back with pride, and look forward with confidence to a greener, fairer, more connected future for Scotland\u2019s railways.\u201d<\/p>\n

Catherine Hall, director of strategy and investment at Network Rail, Scotland, said: \u201cThe Borders Railway has been a phenomenal success in every sense \u2013 from the huge numbers of passengers using the railway over the last 10 years, to encouraging wider economic investment within the communities it serves.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really has exceeded original expectations revolutionising the Scottish Borders economy, increasing business investment, driving footfall, boosting tourism and improving work and leisure opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added: \u201cWe are committed to further improving Scotland\u2019s railway, including the Borders Railway, to ensure we continue to support local opportunities for growth and enhancement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Joanne Maguire, ScotRail managing director, said: \u201cThe Borders Railway has been a major boost for communities and businesses across the Borders, reconnecting people and creating new opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith more than 13 million journeys made in the past 10 years, it\u2019s clear how important the line is \u2013 not just for those who live and work locally, but also in attracting visitors to the Borders.<\/p>\n

\u201cLooking ahead, the Scottish Government\u2019s \u00a3342 million investment in the electrification of part of the route is a real vote of confidence in the future of the Borders Railway.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt paves the way for greener, more reliable services, and even stronger connections across Scotland\u2019s railway.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"WhatsApp<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"John Swinney has promised a \u201cgreener, fairer, more connected future\u201d for rail in Scotland as he helped to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":404176,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5009],"tags":[748,4884,712,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-404175","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-scotland","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-great-britain","10":"tag-scotland","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115160706209663617","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/404175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=404175"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/404175\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/404176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=404175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=404175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=404175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}