Monday September 8th 2025
Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop and First Minister John Swinney celebrating 10 years of Borders Railway in Galashiels.
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
A Borders Railway milestone was recognised at the weekend as hopes rise that the network is on track for expansion.
First Minister John Swinney was among those that joined the celebrations in Galashiels on Saturday to mark the the tenth anniversary of the Borders Railway.
It was on September 6, 2015 that the first passenger services ran on the new rail line between Tweedbank and Edinburgh.
And on September 6, 2025 celebrations took place at the Tapestry Building in Galashiels to mark that momentous occasion.
Councillor, Scott Hamilton, SBC’s executive member for Economic Growth and Developing the Borders, said: “This milestone not only celebrates the return of trains to the Scottish Borders but acknowledges the positive impact the Waverley line has brought to the Borders.
“We look forward to the continued growth and development that the Borders Railway will bring in the years to come.”
Many dismissed the project but continued campaigning and support from Scottish Government saw trains return to the Borders after 46 years.
In 2015 the Borders Railway was the longest new domestic railway built in Britain for over a century.
Since then, the line has successfully generated over 13 million passenger journeys across the 30-mile route.
Support for the rail line remains with campaigners hoping to see the extension of the railway through Hawick to Carlisle.
The Scottish Government says it recognises that extending the Borders Railway to Carlisle is a regional priority.
That acknowledgement offers the region optimism for the extension of a strategic and vital transport link, south to Carlisle.
This week Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Fiona Hyslop, announced the next phase in Scotland’s programme to decarbonise the railway network and the electrification of sections of the Fife and Borders railways.
The £342 million investment also included procuring 69 new trains, ‘as part of the next stage in modernising Scotland’s Railway’.
Councillor Hamilton added: “I am delighted with this announcement and congratulate the Scottish Government’s ongoing commitment to making our railways greener, more reliable, and with greater capacity.”
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