Borders Railway has been ‘a phenomenal success’

But he admitted even he has been surprised by the success of the new line, which runs between Edinburgh and Tweedbank, following its opening earlier this month.

The Melrose and Leaderdale councillor joined residents at a sun-kissed street party in Tweedbank on Sunday to celebrate the return of the railway after an absence of almost half a century.

Speaking to the Border Telegraph, Councillor Parker said: “I always thought the railway would be successful, but even I have been really amazed by how successful it has been so far.

“Huge numbers of people are coming down from the central belt to see the Borders; the steam train tickets sold out; there is a huge appetite to come and see our region; and lots and lots of tour companies are looking to do things for next summer, so, it all bodes very well for the future.”

As well as all the steam train trips having sold out, passengers have also been turned away from normal services during the first three weeks of operation, due to their popularity.

However, extra carriages are being provided on the busiest trains and there are also talks over expanding the car park at the rail terminus in Tweedbank, as ScotRail struggles to keep up with demand.

And local businesses have also received a boost with an influx of visitors.

Councillor Parker said: “I think there’s a whole range of things we have to do. There’s no question we’ll need more parking space; there’s no question we’re going to need to think very carefully about the number of train carriages we have operating on the normal service; we need to think carefully about the steam trains for next year. The railway has been a phenomenal success and that’s not going to change and we need to plan for that.

“Six months from now we’ll sit down and we’ll look at it. There is no question there is some novelty value on the train. It will be busier in the first six months than expected."

But he added: “We’ll let that first six months settle and then we’ll make some long-term decisions about the future.”

Crowds turned out for the street party, which had The Good Old Days as a theme, to celebrate the railway’s return. Among the attractions was an exhibition on the railway in bygone years.

There were also performances from St Ronan’s Silver Band and Melrose Pipes and Drums. And Riddell Fiddles performed the world première of an exclusive song written for the Tweedbank Railway Party.

Councillor Parker said: “It’s been a tremendously good day, there has been thousands of people here, it really has been busy. In fact, it’s been busier than a Tweedbank Fair Saturday. We’ve had people down from Edinburgh and all over on the steam train and everyone has really enjoyed the day.”