A machine laying 1,000 metres of track a day is at work on the Borders Railway. Work has now begun to install almost 30 miles of rail on the new railway by Christmas.
Scottish government Transport Minister Keith Brown and Mark Carne, chief executive of Network Rail, visited the new Shawfair station to meet staff and contractors at the start of the next phase of the project.
Says Mark Carne, ‘The installation of track on this route puts rail services within touching distance for thousands of potential passengers in Midlothian and the Scottish Borders.
‘By the end of this year, rails will connect seven stations along the route to the national railway network for the first time in 45 years. When services start running next September, the railway will form a new economic artery for the region, providing opportunities for employment, education and tourism.’
The fitting out of seven new stations – at Shawfair, Eskbank, Newtongrange, Gorebridge, Stow, Galashiels and Tweedbank – gathers pace this winter. The new railway should be complete by next summer with services set to start in September 2015.
