Borders Railway extension to Carlisle would be 'best solution'

The Borders Railway - which opened in 2015 - currently runs from Edinburgh to Tweedbank

Extending the Borders Railway to Carlisle has been described as the "best solution" to the area's transport connectivity issues.

A new prospectus from the Borderlands Partnership - made up of councils across the Scotland-England border - has backed the move.

The route, opened in 2015, currently runs from Edinburgh to Tweedbank.

The recommendation to extend it will form the basis of future talks with the UK and Scottish governments.

The Borderlands Partnership - composed of the local authorities for Dumfries and Galloway, Scottish Borders, Cumbria, Northumberland and Carlisle - has looked at the potential of extending the line.

The prospectus will form the basis of talks with the UK and Scottish governments

It found that taking the Borders Railway on from Tweedbank to Carlisle was the "best solution" to solve transport connectivity issues across the whole area.

However, it stops short of saying where any stations on the extended route should be positioned.

Scottish Borders Council (SBC) leader Shona Haslam said the re-establishment of a line between Edinburgh and her region had brought "immense and wide-ranging" benefits.

"SBC has made a case for the extension of the line to Hawick and on to Carlisle for some time, and together with the other local authority partners we are reaffirming and strengthening that case in the prospectus," she said.

The prospectus described the extension as the "missing link" in reconnecting the area.

'Exciting opportunity'

It said that Carlisle and Edinburgh were the major economic centres for many people living in the region but were "very inaccessible" for many communities.

It said places such as Melrose, St Boswells, Newcastleton, Langholm and Longtown had higher car ownership levels than the national average, which suggested locals were compensating for the lack of transport alternatives.

Extending the Borders Railway is seen as a potential solution to that, the prospectus said, although project development work would need to start now in order to deliver within the next 10 to 20 years.

Carlisle MP John Stevenson called it "a very exciting opportunity" for the region.

"The feasibility study will hopefully demonstrate that it's practical, how you go about it, and give some indication of the cost," he said.

"I think connectivity between Scotland and England is vital and it's extremely important for Carlisle."