Borders Railway: Golden ticket passengers get sneak preview

Specially selected passengers have taken a trip on the Borders to Edinburgh railway a day ahead of its opening to the general public.

The owners of a Golden Ticket travelled on three trains leaving Tweedbank, Galashiels and Stow, each carrying 160 passengers.

Many have special links to the line having campaigned for its return or been involved in the old Waverley line.

Others making the trip were nominated by the public or won competitions.

The 30 miles of new track between Tweedbank in the Borders and Edinburgh opens to the public on Sunday.

The Queen will also carry out an official opening ceremony on Wednesday.

The route is the longest new domestic railway to be constructed in Britain for more than 100 years.

It follows some of the route of the old Waverley Line which ran between Edinburgh and Carlisle.

That line was closed in 1969, leaving the Scottish Borders as a region without railway stations.

It will now have three stops - at Tweedbank, Galashiels and Stow - on the new route.