Letter: Crossed rail lines

I read with great interest Brian Monteith's article (Perspective, 20 June). I completely agree with him and his measured assessment of the situation regarding the proposed re-opening of the Waverley Line.

Over the past few years, vast sums of public money have been ploughed into this project. Feasibility studies and public consultations have apparently been completed. I have to say that not one of the many people I have discussed the project with in my home town of Galashiels has been "consulted". In fact none of these people knows anyone who has been asked their opinion.

Mr Monteith is correct in his assumption that the vast majority of residents in the Scottish Borders would gain no benefit from the plans, as they either live too far away from the stations or the line will not take them where they want to go.

The amount of subsidy needed to operate the line - 20 per passenger on top of the 6 fare -shows how out of touch with the reality of living in a rural community the project planners are.

The huge sums ring-fenced for this project would be better spent on maintaining the lifelines that are our roads, and on reducing the cost of fuel, which would be of much more benefit to the people of the Scottish Borders than an underused railway link.

Sheila Lees

Waitknowe Terrace

Galashiels

In view of Brian Monteith's record as a pro-roads Conservative MSP, an arch-Thatcherite and a member of the right-wing Centre for Policy Studies, his latest diatribe against the Borders Railway comes as no surprise.

The flaw in his argument, however, lies in his own words - "It is noticeable that the restoration of freight traffic plays no part in the economic case for the Borders railway…"

At a time when passenger train journeys are continuing to increase and have reached a level last seen in the 1920s (when there were very few cars!) a restored Waverley Line mainly for freight would be of economic value now to allow more passenger train paths on the only two lines at present in and out of Scotland and remove substantial amounts of cross-border freight from road to rail.

Not only must the Borders Railway therefore proceed for the benefit of the country's future sustainable economic development, but also the provision of the (initial) single track to Tweedbank ought to be laid on one side of the old double trackbed for ease of doubling in the future to Carlisle - and the huge assets of the whole Waverley route should be given full planning protection and ongoing maintenance.

John Duncan

Rose Street North lane

Edinburgh