Act of the Scottish Parliament | |
Long title | An Act of the Scottish Parliament to authorise the reconstruction of a railway from a point in Midlothian immediately south of Newcraighall in the City of Edinburgh to Tweedbank in Scottish Borders, including stations at Shawfair, Eskbank, Newtongrange, Gorebridge, Stow, Galashiels and Tweedbank; to make provision concerning planning agreements and developer contributions relating to the railway; and for connected purposes. |
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Territorial extent | Scotland |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 24 July 2006 |
Status: Current legislation | |
Text of the Waverley Railway (Scotland) Act 2006 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. |
The Waverley Railway (Scotland) Act 2006 is an Act of the Scottish Parliament. It authorises the construction of the Borders Railway from a point in Midlothian immediately south of Newcraighall in the City of Edinburgh to Tweedbank in the Scottish Borders, including stations at Shawfair, Eskbank, Newtongrange, Gorebridge, Stow of Wedale, Galashiels and Tweedbank. It makes provision concerning planning agreements and developer contributions relating to the railway.
The Secretary of State for Scotland Donald Dewar, later First Minister of Scotland, launched a feasibility study in 1999 into the re-opening of the rail link which had been closed in 1969. This led to the publication of the feasibility study in February 2000 by the Scottish Executive's Transport & Environment Minister Sarah Boyack. The study concluded that a regular passenger rail service would be able to cover its operating costs.
The Campaign for Borders Rail was established independently of Executive plans to promote the link. The Campaign commissioned public surveys and, among other things, identified the popularity of a new station at Stow [1] in the Borders.
The project was promoted in a number of ways including a roadshow in July 2002. This was set up in various locations in Edinburgh, Midlothian and the Scottish Borders. As well as presenting the detail of the proposed project, the roadshow provided an opportunity to receive concerns and objections.
Main objections centred on potential noise levels; and lack of contactability with the developers. Residents of Still Haugh at Fountainhall in Edinburgh objected on many grounds. These included the effects of noise and vibrations on quality of life, property value, property stability, and local wildlife. Residents of Victoria Gardens at Newtongrange in Edinburgh also objected to projected noise levels and the inadequate proposals for barrier fences.
In June 2006, the Waverley Railway (Scotland) Act 2006 asp 13 was passed by the Scottish Parliament by 114 votes to 1. It proposed re-opening the line as far as Tweedbank, just south of the burgh of Galashiels. The bill was given the Royal Assent in July 2006. [2]
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh council area, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lothian and, to the south-west, south and east, the English unitary authorities of Cumberland and Northumberland. The administrative centre of the area is Newtown St Boswells.
The A7 is a major road, partly a trunk road, that connects Edinburgh in Central Scotland to Carlisle in North West England. The A7 meets the M6 motorway close to Carlisle, which connects to the English motorway network.
Galashiels is a town in the Scottish Borders with a population of around 12,600. Its name is often colloquially shortened to "Gala". The town is a major commercial centre for the Borders region with extensive history in the textile industry. Galashiels is the location of Heriot-Watt University's School of Textiles and Design.
Selkirkshire or the County of Selkirk is a historic county and registration county of Scotland. It borders Peeblesshire to the west, Midlothian to the north, Roxburghshire to the east, and Dumfriesshire to the south. It derives its name from its county town, the royal burgh of Selkirk. The county was historically also known as Ettrick Forest.
Christine Grahame is a Scottish politician who served as a Deputy Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament from 2016 to 2021. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale constituency since 2011, having previously represented the South of Scotland region from 1999 to 2011.
Edinburgh Waverley railway station is the principal railway station serving Edinburgh, Scotland. It is the second busiest station in Scotland, after Glasgow Central. The station serves as the northern terminus of the East Coast Main Line, 393 miles 13 chains from London King's Cross, although some trains operated by London North Eastern Railway continue to other Scottish destinations beyond Edinburgh.
The Waverley Route was a railway line that ran south from Edinburgh, through Midlothian and the Scottish Borders, to Carlisle. The line was built by the North British Railway; the stretch from Edinburgh to Hawick opened in 1849 and the remainder to Carlisle opened in 1862. The line was nicknamed after the immensely popular Waverley Novels, written by Sir Walter Scott.
Newcraighall is a railway station on the Borders Railway, which runs between Edinburgh Waverley and Tweedbank. The station, situated 4 miles 54 chains (8 km) south-east of Edinburgh Waverley, serves the suburbs of Craigmillar and Newcraighall in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by ScotRail.
Edinburgh is a major transport hub in east central Scotland and is at the centre of a multi-modal transport network with road, rail and air communications connecting the city with the rest of Scotland and internationally.
Newtongrange is a former mining village in Midlothian, Scotland. Known in local dialect as Nitten, or Nitten by the Bing , it became Scotland's largest mining village in the 1890s, with the sinking of the Lady Victoria Colliery and a shaft over 1600 feet deep. This closed in 1981 but today houses the National Mining Museum, an Anchor Point of ERIH - The European Route of Industrial Heritage.
Shawfair is a railway station on the Borders Railway, which runs between Edinburgh Waverley and Tweedbank. The station, situated 5 miles 64 chains (9 km) south-east of Edinburgh Waverley, serves the villages of Danderhall and Shawfair in Midlothian, Scotland. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by ScotRail.
Eskbank is a railway station on the Borders Railway, which runs between Edinburgh Waverley and Tweedbank. The station, situated 8 miles 25 chains (13 km) south-east of Edinburgh Waverley, serves the towns of Bonnyrigg and Dalkeith in Midlothian, Scotland. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by ScotRail.
Newtongrange is a railway station on the Borders Railway, which runs between Edinburgh Waverley and Tweedbank. The station, situated 11 miles 77 chains (19 km) south-east of Edinburgh Waverley, serves the town of Newtongrange in Midlothian, Scotland. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by ScotRail.
Gorebridge is a railway station on the Borders Railway, which runs between Edinburgh Waverley and Tweedbank. The station, situated 11 miles 77 chains (19 km) south-east of Edinburgh Waverley, serves the town of Gorebridge in Midlothian, Scotland. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by ScotRail.
Stow is a railway station on the Borders Railway, which runs between Edinburgh Waverley and Tweedbank. The station, situated 26 miles 45 chains (43 km) south-east of Edinburgh Waverley, serves the town of Lauder and village of Stow of Wedale in Scottish Borders, Scotland. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by ScotRail.
Galashiels is a railway station on the Borders Railway, which runs between Edinburgh Waverley and Tweedbank. The station, situated 33 miles 22 chains (54 km) south-east of Edinburgh Waverley, serves the town of Galashiels in Scottish Borders, Scotland. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by ScotRail.
Tweedbank is a railway station on the Borders Railway, which runs between Edinburgh Waverley and Tweedbank. The station, situated 35 miles 34 chains (57 km) south-east of Edinburgh Waverley, serves the village of Tweedbank in Scottish Borders, Scotland. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by ScotRail.
Caddonfoot is a village on the River Tweed, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, on the A707, near Galashiels.
The Newbattle Viaduct, sometimes also called the Lothianbridge, Newtongrange or Dalhousie Viaduct, carries the Borders Railway, which opened in 2015, over the River South Esk near Newtongrange, Midlothian, Scotland.
The Borders Railway connects the city of Edinburgh with Galashiels and Tweedbank in the Scottish Borders. The railway follows most of the alignment of the northern part of the Waverley Route, a former double-track line in southern Scotland and northern England that ran between Edinburgh and Carlisle. That line was controversially closed in 1969, as part of the Beeching cuts, leaving the Borders region without any access to the National Rail network. Following the closure, a campaign to revive the Waverley Route emerged. Discussion on reopening the northern part of the line came to a head during the early 2000s. Following deliberations in the Scottish Parliament, the Waverley Railway (Scotland) Act 2006 received royal assent in June 2006. The project was renamed the "Borders Railway" in August 2008, and building works began in November 2012. Passenger service on the line began on 6 September 2015, whilst an official opening by Queen Elizabeth II took place on 9 September.