Campaigners celebrate ten years of the Borders Railway - and then ask: 'When will it be completed?'
Last updated 6th Sep 2025
Celebrations have been held in Galashiels to mark ten years of the Borders Railway.
Some 13 million passenger journeys have been recorded on the line between Edinburgh and Tweedbank since it opened on September 6th, 2015.
And, with work now underway on a study into the feasibility of extending it to Hawick, Newcastleton and on to Carlisle, campaigners this weekend begged the question of the Scottish Government: "When are you finishing it?"
Among those in attendance at today's event at the Great Tapestry of Scotland visitor centre was First Minister John Swinney, who has given his clearest indication yet that he is a supporter of the project.
"The Borders Railway has been an unparalleled success," he told Greatest Hits Radio. "The number of passengers has completely surpassed all of the expectations at the time of the business case.
"I think it's a triumph of community campaigning. People in the Borders were rightly aggrieved that they'd lost their railway in the late 1960s, and I'm delighted an SNP government has been able to restore that railway to the Borders.
"It's delivered connectivity for people in the Borders, it's given a great route for people to come out of the city and come down to the Borders; and it's had a great impact on economic opportunities for the Borders, and all of that is to be welcomed."
Built at a cost of nearly £300 million, the project saw 30 miles of new railway constructed along with seven stations - four in Midlothian (Shawfair, Eskbank, Newtongrange and Gorebridge) and three in the Borders (Stow, Galashiels and Tweedbank).
On Friday, the Scottish Government confirmed plans to electrify a section of the route, paving the way for the introduction of battery-electric trains over the next five years which, it's claimed, will provide more capacity and reliability, as well as cleaner, quieter, and more sustainable journeys.
It has also committed up to half of the £10 million set aside to build the business case for extending the line, with the UK government matching that.
Pushed on the possibility of train services returning to more communities in the Scottish Borders, Mr Swinney said: "We've got to look at what comes out of the feasibility study, and there will obviously be a requirement to identify resources to complete the railway, should the feasibility study be positive.
"I think logic says to you that it's likely the feasibility study will come up with a positive argument because the Borders Railway to Tweedbank has been such a roaring success; so it's entirely conceivable that a railway down to Carlisle will be likewise.
"Obviously that's got to go into capital programmes, it depends on the resources available; but, fundamentally, I've got a positive attitude towards it."
The business case for extending the line at least to Hawick received a boost after Center Parcs announced plans to build a new 700-lodge holiday village near the site of the former Hassendean Station.
And a suggestion that a tourist tax could be introduced to help pay for that hasn't been ruled in or out.
But, with a potential price tag of more than £1 billion, what reassurance can residents be given that a report in favour of restoring the former Waverley Route in its entirety won't just sit on a shelf collecting dust?
Mr Swinney replied: "I'd ask people to look at the record of the SNP government. Loads of folk queued up to say the Borders Railway will never happen; well, the SNP government delivered it to Tweedbank, and it's been an outstanding success."
"Lots of issues have got to be worked out about the availability of resources, the feasibility study and all that goes with it; but, fundamentally, am I sympathetic to extending the Borders Railway to Carlisle? Yes, I am.
"I think it's a bold infrastructure improvement, but we've got to make sure it can happen in practical reality. And if people want answers to practical reality questions, it was an SNP government that delivered the Borders Railway down to Tweedbank and I'm so proud that we did that."
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