SCOTRAIL has announced peak time trains on the Borders Railway will have four carriages, to cope with extra demand over the festive season.

From Monday, December 12 the carriages of two trains (the 7.58am from Tweedbank and 4.52pm from Edinburgh Waverley) will be doubled to help people get in and out of the capital.

The increase means there will be more than 270 additional seats each day, totalling more than 1,300 each week.

And it was also announced that four off-peak services every weekday will also gain an extra two carriages, adding a further 2,700 extra seats each week.

Humza Yousef, Minister for Transport, said: "I am pleased that, working closely with ScotRail, extra capacity during the busy peak periods has been identified and secured. 

"This is in addition to our commitment to provide more capacity from late 2018 onwards as a result of our investment into retaining 13 Class 170 trains as part of the Revolution in Rail service enhancements."

Phil Verster, managing director of the ScotRail Alliance added: "The Borders Railway is now firmly established as an attractive and convenient public transport option, with strong demand, particularly at peak times.

"We have responded by making a number of changes to add capacity when it is most needed, providing our customers with more comfortable journeys to and from the capital."

Meanwhile, the ScotRail Alliance has also confirmed that 1.3m passenger journeys were made on the Borders line in the first 12 months of operation, broadly in line with business case projections.

Mr Verster said: "Projections are just that; assumptions made about how many people are likely to travel at different times of the year.

"We now have a much clearer picture of what to expect in future years and will incorporate these learnings into our business planning and marketing."