WITH the opening of the railway just two months away, a long-running wrangle over the former Galashiels bus station in Stirling Street remains unresolved.

The building has been earmarked for acquisition and demolition since planning consent for Scottish Borders Council’s £5.2 million Galashiels Transport Interchange (GTI) was granted back in 2012.

But with the huge GTI due for completion next month, attempts by the council to acquire the old bus station from its owner First Borders have so far been unsuccessful.

And the council could be on another collision course with the region’s largest bus service provider, having agreed behind closed doors last week to levy a departure charge of £1.75 for every outgoing bus journey from the GTI.

Meanwhile, details of what companies, if any, will occupy the three-storey interchange building, which will be run and staffed by the council, have still to be made public amid speculation that leasing charges, coupled with service charges, are prohibitive.

After Thursday’s private session, a council spokesperson told the Border Telegraph: “Councillors approved in private the operational model for the Galashiels Transport Interchange which includes a departure charge of £1.75.

“The council’s executive committee will monitor the performance of the operational model on an ongoing basis.

“In a separate private report, councillors noted that compulsory purchase negotiations with a private company regarding the GTI are continuing. Both reports were in private as they contained commercially sensitive information on a private company.” A spokesperson for First Borders said yesterday: “We are continuing to review the impact of any departure charge on our business.” Asked to comment on the sale of the old bus station, the spokesperson said: “It would be inappropriate for us to comment while negotiations are continuing.”