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"Great Ideas and Initiatives for the Borders Railway"

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  1. chdot
    Admin

    "

    Integrating the rail line with bus and cycle transport

    Integrating rail imaginatively with bus services and other transport is crucial, because it opens so many possibilities to promote attractions and activities - suggested in this booklet - beyond the limited length of the Borders Railway itself. Integration with bus services was a condition of building the Borders Railway. This is also needed to involve and enthuse people who live a bit away from the line itself, especially given legendary local rivalries in the Borders. Imaginative schemes in other parts of the country have also involved connections with cycle transport. There are many examples we could follow: one key point is that the railway is not in competition with local bus operators. Rather, co-operation can and does increase the market for both.

    "

    From 27 page PDF -

    http://bit.ly/OcnfiN

    http://www.campaignforbordersrail.org

    Posted 11 years ago #

  2. chdot
    Admin

    "Borders to Edinburgh rail route works deal signed"

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-20206538

    Cost/finish date to be announced at 9:00

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/nov/05/scottish-borders-rail-route-beeching-reopening

    Posted 11 years ago #

  3. chdot
    Admin

    http://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/borders-railway-completion-date-put-back-as-cost-of-project-soars-1-2616155

    Posted 11 years ago #

  4. cb
    Member

    £350 million now for the "ill-fated" project.

    The trouble is, after the parliament, tram project, 2nd FRB, etc, £350 sounds cheap as chips.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  5. Morningsider
    Member

    £10m a mile - seems pretty reasonable to me when compred with road projects. Apparently getting Network Rail to deliver the project is £60m cheaper than than the previously proposed PFI (under the guise of the Non-Profit Distributing model).

    Posted 11 years ago #

  6. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I think sensible integration is better than "imaginative" integration. Imaginitive integration is what you get when the planner imagines that -9 minutes is sufficient time to get from last bus of day to last train of the day, and that the latter leaving before the former arrives is a satisfactory public transport arrangement.

    The Borders Rail costs, per mile, are significantly below costs for even medium-sized road projects (like A-village road bypasses). I have a spreadsheet somewhere.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  7. crowriver
    Member

    Costs are probably helped by the fact there's an existing track bed with all the hard engineering work already done: cuttings, viaducts, etc. Reinstating something usually easier than building from scratch.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  8. kaputnik
    Moderator

    @Crowriver - indeed, I don't realistically see anyone in Scotland having the financial stomach to build "new" railways rather than just re-instating along old trackbeds.

    We're lucky that the Victorians built the line so solidly, apparently there is very little structural problems with the existing bridges and viaducts - some of which are very substantial. I imagine if either Lothianbridge or Esk viaducts had been removed since closure there wouldn't have been much hope of re-instating the line. I imagine tunneling under the bypass just beyond Millerhill is going to be quite an engineering challenge.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  9. PS
    Member

    There's a new bridge required at Hardengreen, over the top of the roundabout, but the other viaducts (there's also a massive red one over the Tweed between Galashiels and Tweedbank, imaginatively called Redbridge Viaduct) should be of the usual robust Victorian standard.

    Potentially some ground condition issues too, what with all the mineworkings in Midlothian, but I believe there's been a lot of surveying and stabilisation work done already.

    I'm not sure how much Network Rail will want to rely on the other existing structures (there are loads of little bridges over the Gala Water, plus a couple of tunnels) but none of them should be engineering marvels at least. Decent drainage of the track bed is likely to be the main concern.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  10. chdot
    Admin

    http://www.transformscotland.org.uk/cbr-news-release-contract-signing.aspx

    Posted 11 years ago #

  11. AKen
    Member

    I imagine tunneling under the bypass just beyond Millerhill is going to be quite an engineering challenge.

    The Union Canal was blocked by the M8 when this was built. It was later re-instated and goes under the motorway. I wonder how difficult a job this was?

    Posted 11 years ago #

  12. cb
    Member

    And it's happening again with the M9 at Grangemouth - a new section of canal is being built under the motorway.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  13. chdot
    Admin

    Such a waste of money, canals are soooo old technology...

    Posted 11 years ago #

  14. amir
    Member

    Nice pics

    This is going to be such a good route. However the picture article claims "After the original railway was removed in 1969, part of it was turned into a footpath. The new railway will follow the route of the old line but new walking and cycle routes have been created through Eskbank". Not in Eskbank so much as Dalkeith. As I currently understand it, the re-routing of the NCN1 is through housing estates in Eskbank, though there is a bit through parkland in Dalkeith (at the back of Newbattle Abbey. I don't know where all the dog walkers will go.

    Ref

    Posted 11 years ago #

  15. amir
    Member

    Borders to Edinburgh rail route main contractor agreed

    Posted 11 years ago #

  16. amir
    Member

    Signposts (some covered) seem to be going up for the new NCN 1 route through Dalkeith. I must go and check it out sometime.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  17. kaputnik
    Moderator

    @amir I take it the "new" route is nothing more than an on-road, signed diversion?

    That would be an advance on the NCN75 "diversion" when they were building the Airdrie to Bathgate route, but is hardly really what you would call cycling infrastructure.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  18. amir
    Member

    More info here

    As expected, some of it is off road and some goes through housing estates. Judging by the signposting, it is taking an awkward diversion through Ancrum Road until the site of the old Jewel and Esk College is redeveloped.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  19. cb
    Member

    Borders rail connection work begins.

    http://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/borders-rail-connection-work-begins-1-2774668

    "The works will be carried out between the Millerhill junction on the Edinburgh City Bypass and Sherriffhall roundabout near Dalkeith.

    A Network Rail Scotland spokesman said the project would involve significant changes to the area’s road layout and construction of a bridge near Sherriffhall."

    Is the new bridge for the bypass to cross the railway (that sounds more like a tunnel or underpass to me) or is it somewhere else?

    Posted 11 years ago #

  20. kaputnik
    Moderator

    @cb the only Road in the way of the line there is the bypass, so assume that's what they mean. It might be referrred to as a bridge as to a railwayman it will be an overbridge (a bridge over the railway), although to a layperson it's an underpass.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  21. cb
    Member

    I must be a layperson.

    It would be nice if they could run a bike path under the Bypass next to the railway*, but I guess there's zero chance of that happening.

    (*even if it didn't link up with anything at the moment)

    Posted 11 years ago #

  22. chdot
    Admin

    Some history -

    http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/features/index5.shtml

    Posted 11 years ago #

  23. chdot
    Admin

    http://www.scotsman.com/edinburgh-evening-news/transport/2000-apply-to-be-drivers-on-borders-rail-link-1-2778338

    Posted 11 years ago #

  24. chdot
    Admin

    http://www.scotsman.com/edinburgh-evening-news/transport/edinburgh-city-bypass-rail-tunnel-plan-unveiled-1-2782822

    Posted 11 years ago #

  25. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I'm assuming the "tunnel" (overbridge) will be 130 feet long, not wide. It's either that, or it's a cutting.

    If only the tram construction plans went to such painstaking and expensive lengths to accommodate cyclists lest they be delayed for a few minutes (I'm thinking Broomhouse Path here. Or Water of Leith path. Or Haymarket. Or Roseburn Path...)

    Posted 11 years ago #

  26. chdot
    Admin

    http://www.scotsman.com/edinburgh-evening-news/transport/borders-rail-works-starts-on-historic-link-1-2786591

    Posted 11 years ago #

  27. crowriver
    Member

    "Borders Rail: Lost cycle paths to be replaced"

    http://www.scotsman.com/edinburgh-evening-news/transport/borders-rail-lost-cycle-paths-to-be-replaced-1-2788621

    Posted 11 years ago #

  28. amir
    Member

    "A spokesman said: “Obviously it is a loss for the current cycle paths to be given over to the new Borders railway, but it is important to take a long-term view.

    “The new rail link will provide an alternative, more sustainable form of transport for those who currently commute by car to Edinburgh.”

    So they didn't consider converting a road or two to cycle only use given that the train is providing an alternative for car drivers?

    The alternative route for the NCN 1 will be the typical lucky-if-you-can-find the way through the estates SUSTRANS job.

    Posted 11 years ago #

  29. neddie
    Member

    The sensible thing to do here is build a cycle path alongside the entire length of the new railway.

    """A good way to cheaply secure new cycling infrastructure is to tack it on to the side of existing projects."""

    (From the Cycling Scotland conference with the Dutch experts)

    Posted 11 years ago #

  30. amir
    Member

    Path closures

    Posted 11 years ago #

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