Extend Borders Railway to Carlisle, say campaigners, as Queen officially opens

On Wednesday the queen will become Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, surpassing her great-grandmother Queen Victoria rule of 63 years and 216 days. All of us are delighted to be able to share some of this special day with you.

During their journey on the new service, the Queen and Philip will travel with Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in a carriage drawn by the steam locomotive Union of South Africa.

Mr Cameron, a farmer from Balbuthie, by Kilconquhar, bought the loco – which he calls Number Nine after its British Rail number: 60009 – after it was withdrawn from service in 1966.

Although unlike Queen Victoria, who spent the day quietly at Balmoral, the Queen will make a rare public appearance during the Balmoral break to open the Scottish Borders Railway.

The Queen, the Duke and Ms Sturgeon travelled in a “Pegasus” Pullman coach that seats 14 in the main lounge area and also has a bar – that was serving tea and coffee.

It is thought the milestone will be passed at around 5.30pm this afternoon, but it’s hard to pinpoint a precise time because the exact moment of her father’s death is not known. The Waverley Route, named after a series of novels by poet Scott, is a source of fierce pride for locals.

The diesel engine at the other end of the train was emblazoned with livery to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Seven new stations have been built. The Borders Railway will connect communities along the route to the rest of the country in a way they have not enjoyed in nearly half a century.

The link between the Scottish capital and Tweedbank will re-establish part of the former Waverley line, which fell victim to the notorious Beeching cuts in the 1960s.

Claimed to be the longest domestic railway construction project in Britain for 100 years, delivery of the Borders Railway has been undertaken by Network Rail on behalf of the Scottish Government at a cost of £294m; lead contractor was BAM Group. “I never dreamt in my career that I would be involved in reopening this railway”.

Image: A train waiting at Tweedbank station on the Borders Railway.

Simon Walton, chair of the Campaigner for Borders Rail, said: “Hawick is the Borders town which has suffered most from the loss of the old Waverley Route in 1969”.