Waverley Railway Partnership Welcomes Positive Assurance from Executive

16 March 2006

The Waverley Railway Partnership has welcomed news from The Scottish Government that the Borders Rail Project is included within the Executive's ‘programme of public transport investment’.

The inclusion of the scheme within the national framework ensures that the Waverley line will integrate with all the other major transport projecsts affecting Edinburgh. The passage of the Waverley Railway (Scotland) Bill through Parliament will not be affected, and preparatory work will begin in 2007.

The extended timescale to which the Waverley project will run will allow the Promoters of the scheme to carry out additional geotechnical and topographical work, ensuring greater certainty on all the details involved in the project. The revised time plan will see the line completed by 2010, with trains running in 2011.

Although the costs for building the railway remain unchanged following rigorous independent appraisal from both internal and external sources, the added cost of inflation to 2011 means that the overall cost of the railway will rise to £174 million, with £155 million provided by The Scottish Government.

David Parker, leader of Scottish Borders Council, promoter of the Waverley Railway (Scotland) BIll said: “We are pleased that the Scottish Execute has chosen to include the Waverley line within its ‘programme of public transport investment’. This allows the Executive to integrate all Scotland's major rail infrastructure projects under one banner.

“The Bill will continue its current progress through the Scottish Parliament uninterrupted and following the Bill Comittee's report on the consultation stage, we anticipate a positive vote to occur within the Scottish Parliament chamber before the summer recess this year, allow preparatory work to begin in 2007.”

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