of course the SNP will not extend a railway. Brian Souters buses need roads not railways - and Tom Farmers car repair business needs roads not rail. he who pays the piper calls the tune - this tune is called sleaze

There you go Jeremy, your "clear case" must have been a pile of keech.

#1 thats the poblem SMythe old bean, we can't have any more railways or trams or cycle lanes because that pesky mega rich Brian souter wants to create a massively lucrative bus network in the borders... in addition, the skint Tom Farmer needs to sell more exhausts and tyres in Tweeddale else he'll need to sell of the family heirlooms. What amazing powers of deduction you have. Call the police! Charge the whole administration! Smythe has rumbled us...

#1. Of course it's not like Stagecoach run any rail services eh!

The Border rail link could should be double track and joining the West Coast Mainline.

#4 Not in Scotland they dont. That would be First Group. Even more reason for it to be opposed

It would be a bit daft to commit to an extension to the line before finding out how successful it is when the current line starts. It has cost a fortune and will need subsidised so, until it is known just what the figures are, it is sensible to wait.

Mr Purvis, stop being such a gulliable eejit. Wait until the line is resurrected to Tweedbank. Once this is one it will be much easier to get the line extended. The Government is not going to pay more money out until they see how the Waverly line operates. Bide your time. Everyone knows it makes sense to go over to the west coast line, but lets walk before we run

The Borders rail link is one transport project that this SNP administration should look carefully into. The building costs alone and £20 million yearly subsidy would be better spent on more deserving initiatives that would benefit more of the population. Under the English system of fiscal viability checks this railway would never of got off the drawing board. It was payback by Labour for Lib dem support.
I also note that the promised 1000 new homes a year that Borders council promised to erect for potential commuters is currently averaging only 300.

#7. Yeti. I regret that your cmments are typical of the short sighted attitude taken by too any people in this country when it comes to major infrastructure projects.

At the end of the day, the through route from Edinburgh to Carlisle via Galashiels and Hawick should never have been closed in the 1960's.

This link is desperately need for the economic viability of the Borders which is being stifled by poor transport links.

#10. D Napier
Don't get me wrong, I was born and brought up in the Borders. Would I like to see a great transport system? Yes. But surely it it is right to wait and see how this operates and how popular it is (and how much subsidy is needed). Taxpayers' money is too expensive to be spent on white elephants. I hope it works and the line is extended, but only time will tell

I fail to see how the Lib Dems can say that the door is closed on any extension to the Waverley Line. With the rebuilding of the line it will bring enormous benefit to the Borders and Midlothian. If anything that the Lib/Lab Administration failed to do in the last administration was look at the future and be imaginative in the approach to the rebuilding of the line. The Waverley Railway Bill was short of many sensible proposals including double track, an express service to Galashiels and in the first phase extend the line to Melrose instead of Tweedbank Industrial Estate. So it is a bit rich for the Lib Dems to criticise the SNP when the original Bill fell well short of the mark. I am sure that in the future the line will reach Hawick and Carlisle.