The old age of the train

Published on 10/11/2012 15:24

THEY are the backbone of the industrial age, and this week saw railway lines hit the headlines again as the Scottish Government was urged to give a “cast-iron guarantee” over the completion date for the 
Borders rail line.

The call came amid reports the cost of the project, which will re-open a rail link from Edinburgh to Tweedbank, near Galashiels, was set to rise from the official maximum of £295 million to nearer £350m and it may not open until late 2015, almost a year later than scheduled.

When it does open, the new line will see the first trains run through the areas since the Waverley line closed in 1969, and provide the latest chapter in the city’s love-affair with trains.

Back in 1964, a group of children