The Scottish government’s announcement of the construction and reopening of the Borders Railway has been welcomed by the council.

The government has said the railway system will be opened by 2015 at the latest.

Councillor David Parker, Leader of Scottish Borders Council, said: "Today's announcement confirms that the Borders will enjoy the return of rail services by 2015. It is tremendous news for our region that the construction of the Borders Railway and the timetable for its delivery have been confirmed today. Now we know that the Borders will have its railway which is something that many people throughout our region have spent decades campaigning for.


"The Scottish Government has been committed to this project from the outset and they are delivering on the promises that they made to the Borders public to ensure the project's delivery. I would also like to thank the Campaign for Borders Rail (CBR) and the many Borderers who have campaigned to make today's announcement a reality. The efforts of CBR and other community representatives have been critical in achieving the return of rail services to the Borders."

He added: "This is a project that has spanned five council administrations and three council leaders; it has required numerous studies, an act of parliament and a significant amount of work by Scottish Borders Council, Midlothian Council, City of Edinburgh Council, the Scottish Government, Transport Scotland and Network Rail. It has been a tremendous team effort and today's announcement demonstrates that if you have vision and commitment it is possible to achieve what many believed was impossible.

"The project's construction and delivery will present massive economic opportunities for the Scottish Borders and once the railway reopens I know that in a very short space of time all Borderers will view it as a great asset to our region."

(IT)