Network Rail is set to launch the first stage of electrification on the Borders Railway this week, signalling a significant move towards cleaner, more sustainable rail travel.
From Saturday 21 February, preparatory work will begin ahead of piling between Newcraighall and Shawfair, and the Bowshank Tunnel to Tweedbank Station.
Piling will create the foundations needed to install masts and overhead wires that will eventually power electric trains between Edinburgh and Tweedbank.
The scheme follows a £342 million funding commitment from the Scottish Government to electrify lines in Fife and the Borders and introduce new battery-electric trains. The investment is designed tocut carbon emissions, improve air quality, enhance passenger comfort, and lower long-term operating costs.
As the work can only take place during service suspensions, three weekend closures are planned for next month, along with some overnight activity. Replacement buses will operate, and passengers are advised to check travel plans before setting out.
Since reopening, the railway has seen more than 13 million journeys, supporting local growth and regeneration, with electrification set to strengthen its future.
“The Borders Railway was rebuilt with future electrification in mind, which means we can deliver this work with far less intrusive engineering than is required on many older parts of the network, where we often need to lower track or raise bridges. The infrastructure here is already suitable for this next stage of modernisation.
“Piling is still a vital early step in installing the overhead line equipment that will eventually power electric trains. Our teams have planned the activity carefully to keep disruption to a minimum for passengers and those living near the railway.
“We’re grateful to customers and local residents for their patience while we complete this phase of the project. Electrification will deliver long‑term benefits for the Borders, and this work marks an important milestone in creating a cleaner, more reliable and more sustainable railway for the future.”
Lynsey Maclean, scheme project manager at Network Rail Scotland.
Responses
The Maryhill Line that goes from Glasgow Queen Street to Anniesland could do with being electrified and to electrify the Stranraer line from Ayr to Stranraer.
What a complete waste of money. O/H electrification is a ridiculously expensive, ugly blot on the landscape. Any alleged ‘green ‘ benefits are probably minimal. The money would have been far better spent on re-opening the rest of the line towards Carlisle. O/H electrification usually runs way over budget and takes far longer than scheduled to complete. The sooner that O/H schemes are abandoned the better. Battery technology has really advanced in recent years and there are other fuel systems available too. This evidently a political decision made by people that don’t care how much it costs the taxpayer.
The amount needed to reopen to Carlisle would massively exceed that required for only partial electrification to support any form of battery or fully electric trains.
Just a quick look through OS maps will show the enormity of building an extended single line to Carlisle let alone a twin track offering fast journeys – or slow services to serve the few people living along the route who’d use the service.
Something the feasibility study will no doubt confirm.
Re-opening at least to Hawick needs to be done, and should have been done when the railway was first re-opened to Tweedbank. Hawqick is a large population centre cut off from the rail network
Re-opening to Carlisle from Hawick admittedly passes through a very sparsely populated area, but it would connect Hawick and the border areas with the main line at Carlisle and would likely generate a lot of use.
Better than expensive and unsightly full electrification would surely be to adopt emerging technology that allows quick re-charging of battery electric trains at each station stop
It all depends on what you call a large population centre. Hawick’s 13,500 in 2022 are served by Tweedbank as a compromise railhead.
Proceeding further would require running in very close proximity to the A6091 Melrose by-pass – if not on top of it as it largely uses the old track bed. Resolving that alone would cost many millions – as the current feasibility study will no doubt report.
A great pity that the line was not electrified at the time it was first reopened – it would have cost much less then.
Well, it DID go rather overbudget on the rebuild to 2015…