Campaign for Borders Rail

 

Our Borderlands – Our Future

 

Written Submission to House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee

 

August 2014

 

 

Executive Summary

 

  1. Campaign for Borders Rail (CBR) believes that poor transport links, and particularly the absence of a rail service, is a significant factor causing the high levels of under employment found in the south of Scotland. 

 

  1. Whilst the opening of the Borders Railway between Edinburgh and the central Borders will improve the situation, for the region to truly prosper it also requires a direct rail link to England. 

 

  1. The economy and population of Hawick, which will not be served by the new railway, is in a state of long-term decline that will only be reversed if transport links to Edinburgh, Carlisle and the central Borders can be improved.

 

  1. CBR believes that the current government structures are ill-suited to delivering a strategic cross-border project on this scale and that a dedicated enterprise body, if possible encompassing local authority areas on both sides of the border, is required to champion it.

 

About Campaign for Borders Rail

 

  1. The controversial 1969 closure of the 98 mile Edinburgh – Galashiels – Hawick – Carlisle railway line, also known as the Waverley Route, left the Borders as the only mainland region of the UK without a rail service.  Galashiels and Hawick are further from a railhead than any other British towns of their size – 35 and 45 miles, respectively. 

 

  1. CBR is a grass roots community group founded in 1999 to campaign for the restoration of rail services to the Borders, as it was becoming increasingly clear that a lack of efficient public transport links had left the region at a competitive disadvantage, contributing to economic decline, unemployment and lack of social inclusion.

 

  1. The current Transport Scotland / Network Rail ‘Borders Railway’ project to reinstate the northern 35 mile section of the route from Edinburgh, through Galashiels, to a new park-and-ride station at Tweedbank, near Melrose, is a welcome partial fulfilment of our aims.  Construction work on the project is at an advanced stage and train services are due to commence in September 2015.  CBR is heavily engaged in lobbying to maximise the potential of new railway and ensure its future success.

 

  1. Our overall aim remains the re-establishment of the through route between the central Borders, Hawick and Carlisle.  A reinstated railway would also serve a strategic purpose linking the region directly to cities in the north west of England, and providing a diversionary route for the West Coast main line.  There is considerable potential for the transport of timber by rail from the southern end of the route.

 

Submission Evidence

 

  1. Naturally, the impact of the new railway will be greatest in the places directly served by it – Stow, Galashiels and Tweedbank – as well as towns and villages within a short drive or bus journey of them: Langlee, Selkirk, Melrose, Earlston, St Boswells and Newtown St Boswells.  Nevertheless, the region of as a whole will also benefit from higher profile that a connection to the national rail network will bring, increasing awareness of it throughout the UK and improving its overall appeal to visitors and investors.  The rail link will:

 

    1. Encourage inward investment and support existing employment; jobs are more likely to be created and retained in areas with good transport links.

 

    1. Improve access to the Edinburgh jobs market, reducing the need for people to leave the area to find work and encouraging others to move to the Borders.  A stable or growing population will sustain demand for goods and services from existing local businesses and encourage the establishment of new ones.

 

    1. Allow young people from the Borders to access education and training opportunities in Edinburgh and the Lothians without having to move away from home.  For example, Eskbank and Brunstane stations, both of which will be served by Borders Railway trains, are adjacent to campuses of Edinburgh College.

 

    1. Increase tourism to the Borders, supporting local businesses and creating jobs, as it will be easier for the many thousands of visitors to Edinburgh each year to access the region.  The Borders will also attract visitors who want to holiday in an attractive rural setting but with the option of convenient access to the city.

 

  1. In 1969 Hawick was the largest town in the Borders, with a thriving manufacturing industry.  More isolated than Galashiels, it was worst hit by the railway’s closure and has been in decline ever since.  The decline in the textile industry has not been fully offset by growth in other employment sectors and the town’s population has decreased.  Public transport journey times to Edinburgh (51 miles) and Carlisle (45 miles) are 2h10 and 1h20, respectively, compared to 1h15 and 1h10 previously by rail.  Many young people leave the region for education and employment opportunities and do not return.

 

  1. The new rail link to Tweedbank will bring some benefits to Hawick with the overall public transport journey time to Edinburgh reducing to around 1h40, albeit with a change from bus to train at Galashiels.  However, this will not result in the step-change in quality and speed of service necessary to bring about a reversal of the town’s fortunes.  In contrast, a limited-stop train service from Hawick to Edinburgh using modern rolling stock could complete the journey in around 65 minutes.  Similarly, the connection to Carlisle could be brought down to well under an hour.

 

  1. Apart from the clear benefits to Hawick itself, the central Borders area as a whole would become far more accessible from the south, with significant time savings compared to existing journey times.  For example, with a direct train, Manchester to Hawick might be achieved in around 2¾ hours; currently it would take at least 3½ to 4 hours including an uncomfortable bus journey up the A7 from Carlisle.  London to Galashiels, with a change of trains at Carlisle, could be cut to less than 5 hours compared to a minimum of 5½ hours via Edinburgh and the Borders Railway.

 

  1. Throughout the Borders there is widespread agreement that a reinstated rail link to England would be beneficial, with the idea supported in principle by Scottish Borders Council, Scottish Borders Chamber of Commerce, the local MP and many MSPs and councillors.  There is also political support for the proposal in Carlisle and Cumbria, and the line of route has been protected from further adverse development in the local development plans of both Scottish Borders Council and Carlisle City & District Council. (Some 13 miles of reinstated railway would be required on the English side of the border to allow access to the West Coast main line via the Longtown MOD branch line.)

 

  1. However, the scale of the proposal, and the fact that it straddles two national transport administrations, adds complexity and is a significant obstacle to either of the local authorities along the route taking on the role of lead promoter.  A new enterprise body for the south of Scotland could fulfil that role and provide the strategic vision necessary.  If its remit were to extend to the relevant parts of the north of England, its ability to champion the rail link would be greatly enhanced.

 

  1. In England, following the demise of Regional Development Agencies, Local Enterprise Partnerships have been set up with a remit that includes some strategic oversight of transport and infrastructure planning.  The precise relationship between a new south of Scotland enterprise body and the adjacent English LEPs will require careful consideration but in our view, the greater the level of integration, the better the strategic interests of the cross-border region as whole will be served.

 

Recommendations

 

  1. Campaign for Borders Rail supports the establishment of a new enterprise body for the South of Scotland and recommends that it should be set up with the broadest possible terms of reference, including the ability to promote major transport schemes such as the reinstatement of the railway between Tweedbank, Hawick and Carlisle.  Making a successful business case will require a strategic inter-regional perspective as well as an ability to properly quantify the full benefits to the local economy.  Therefore it is essential that the new enterprise body is either integrated with or has a very strong partnership with the relevant enterprise bodies in England.

 

www.campaignforbordersrail.org

Chair: Simon Walton, 11 Still Haugh, Fountainhall, Scottish Borders, TD1 2SL

 

Address for correspondence relating to this submission

Nicholas Bethune

London Officer, Campaign for Borders Rail

37A Dartmouth Park Road

London NW5 1SU

 

020 7482 4761 / 07974 825 673

n.bethune@btinternet.com

Campaign for Borders Rail

Our Borderlands – Our Future

Written Submission to House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee August 2014

Page 3 of 3