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3 March 2010

Campaign groups welcome Borders rail announcement

Rail campaigning groups have today (Wednesday 3rd) welcomed the start of
preparatory works on the Borders Railway from Edinburgh to Tweedbank.

Richard Crockett, Chair of the Campaign for Borders Rail [1] said:

"This is excellent news for the future of the Scottish Borders. After the
many years the project has been in gestation since we gathered 17,000
petition signatures in support of the railway back in 1999, Borders
residents can now look forward to a vast improvement in their regional
transport infrastructure."

Colin Howden, Director of Transform Scotland [2], said:

"The closure of the Waverley Route in 1969 was one of the worst disasters of
the Beeching Axe, so it is very welcome that the Scottish Government is now
committed to putting the Borders back on the railway map. We expect the new
Borders Railway to well out-perform current traffic forecasts, just like
other recent Scottish rail re-openings."

Petra Biberbach, Chair of the Waverley Route Trust [3], said:

'We're delighted to have today's confirmation that the railway will now be
delivered to the Borders community. A lot of people have worked hard for a
long time to ensure that this will no longer be the only region of Britain
without a train service."

ENDS

NOTES FOR EDITORS:

[1] The Campaign for Borders Rail is a grassroots campaigning organisation
set up in 1999 to secure the return of rail to the Scottish Borders - the
only region of Britain without passenger trains. See
http://www.campaignforbordersrail.org for details.  

[2] Transform Scotland is the national sustainable transport alliance,
bringing together rail, bus and shipping operators, local authorities,
national environment and conservation groups, businesses and local transport
groups - see http://www.transformscotland.org.uk/our-members.aspx for
details.

[3] The Waverley Route Trust is a registered company with charitable status
founded in 2002 to promote the case for a community railway to and through
the Borders. See http://www.campaignforbordersrail.org/trust.html for
details.


END OF NEWS RELEASE