CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!

Borders rail link tender process scrapped

(16 posts)
  • Started 12 years ago by crowriver
  • Latest reply from Arellcat

  1. crowriver
    Member

    "Borders rail link tender process scrapped

    Transport Scotland will be delivering the Borders railway line, ministers announced
    The Scottish government has scrapped its plan to get a private company to build the new Borders railway, because of a lack of interest. Transport minister Keith Brown said the £295m project would now be taken forward with Network Rail.

    The move comes after several consortia dropped out of the competition, for commercial reasons. Ministers said the 35-mile (56km) line from Edinburgh to Tweedbank was still on course to open in December 2014."

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-15114770

    Quite a relief really. At least the line will happen now.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  2. chdot
    Admin

    "Network Rail has agreed to take over the project but last night refused to rule out further delays and cost increases."

    http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/news/Borders-rail-Uturn-sparks-fear.6845179.jp

    Posted 12 years ago #

  3. chdot
    Admin

    "Multi-million-pound blueprint to bring better rail services across Scotland

    FASTER and more frequent trains across Scotland have been promised in the railways' latest blueprint to cope with booming passenger numbers.

    "

    http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotland/Multimillionpound-blueprint-to-bring-better.6845180.jp

    Posted 12 years ago #

  4. amir
    Member

    Borders to Edinburgh rail route 'essential' to economy

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-15188094

    Posted 12 years ago #

  5. Arellcat
    Moderator

    At least if Network Rail manages the whole project, it stands a good chance of a) being completed, and b) being completed on time and on budget.

    It's only a shame that the Airdrie-Bathgate project resulted in identikit railway stations that have no character to them at all. Decent brickwork is underrated in my opinion.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  6. chdot
    Admin

    "rail route 'essential' to economy"

    I suspect most people on here are more sympathetic to spending large amounts on rail rather than road. (Trams are another matter..)

    The strange thing is that it always seems easier to predict the benefits of large scale projects than smaller ones.

    This is presumably why the current Scottish draft Spending Review proposes a reduction in spending on cycle schemes (Spokes response).

    It is rumoured that John Swinney likes to see 'evidence' to justify spending - which is fair enough.

    What is surprising is that no-one (apparently) can provide convincing evidence for the benefits of cycling - certainly Sustrans publishes a lot of data about the increasing use of its network.

    Less surprising is the willingness to accept whatever 'benefits' are claimed for 'improved' road infrastructure. It's hard to believe the projected traffic increase estimates for the next few years (you also have to start from the position that catering for this 'demand' is necessary).

    By contrast, passenger projections for rail schemes in Scotland have usually underestimated the actual usage.

    The Scottish Government talks about "sustainable growth" and "preventative spending" so you'd think they'd be happy to be seen to be spending money to encourage cycling - even if it didn't work!!

    (We all know it does work...)

    Posted 12 years ago #

  7. PS
    Member

    "Decent brickwork is underrated in my opinion. "

    Unfortunately, decent brick work is more expensive than perspex bus shelters and the aesthetic positives never seem to find their way into the value for money assessments of these things.

    Oh, for a return to the railway barons who built to impress (only without the lack of integration and impending crippling bankruptcies).

    Posted 12 years ago #

  8. kaputnik
    Moderator

    It's only a shame that the Airdrie-Bathgate project resulted in identikit railway stations that have no character to them at all.

    Network rail are certainly good at the utterly functional and utilitarian. I think they must have been slipped brown paper envelopes by the suppliers of galvanised steel poles and fencing. It's the defining feature of the A2B route.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  9. chdot
    Admin

    "Unfortunately, decent brick work is more expensive than perspex bus shelters and the aesthetic positives never seem to find their way into the value for money assessments of these things."

    All true and all relative.

    A half-decent design with some sort of 'local features' added can't really add that much to the cost. Rail Stations are already more expensive than they need be (cheap/quick/very utilitarian alternative).

    It might even be good for business. It's sadly comical that one justification for the tram is that people 'won't get out of their cars for buses'.

    Real train passengers have to suffer the same sort of inadequate bus 'shelter'.

    In a well run world ALL stations would have staff. In a BIG society world it would be easy to get volunteers - as long as they had somewhere to drink tea and a uniform to wear...

    In these days of CCTV, solar panels and small wind turbines (ideal for the moors of West Lothian) it should be easy/desirable/affordable to get attractive (warm and pretty) stations that wouldn't be vandalised and which would probably attract more passengers to help pay the marginal cost increase.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  10. kaputnik
    Moderator

    small wind turbines

    When Ruggtomcat and I pedalled into the wind to the Glasgow bike show, I noticed that a lot of the line-side boxes had little wind turbines and solar panels on the roof. I also noticed that most of them had already been smashed up :(

    Posted 12 years ago #

  11. chdot
    Admin

    Real station - stone + art by local people.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  12. ruggtomcat
    Member

    must do that again sometime....

    Posted 12 years ago #

  13. DaveC
    Member

    I really like the old brick stations. Its a shame so often that they are closed up and locked these days. In my home tow, they built a station over a hundred years go which was a huge lovely brick ornate building with wooded feature shelters, on both sides. They had the place all locked up and a cheepy looking (since demolished) plastic 'shed' as the only protection from the elements for passengers (apart from the over hanging wooden shelter.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  14. chdot
    Admin

    "
    It is rumoured that John Swinney likes to see 'evidence' to justify spending - which is fair enough.

    What is surprising is that no-one (apparently) can provide convincing evidence for the benefits of cycling - certainly Sustrans publishes a lot of data about the increasing use of its network.
    "

    New development on Spending Review thread.

    Posted 12 years ago #

  15. steveo
    Member

    A little on the BBC about the borders railway.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-17547706
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-17547712

    Posted 12 years ago #

  16. Arellcat
    Moderator

    I have the Cinerail DVD The Waverley Route: an hour of vintage film of the stations like Stow and Gala and Hawick, and of things like the Lothianbridge viaduct and some of the old collieries.

    Posted 12 years ago #

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