Published: Wednesday, 14th October, 2009 10:58am

Postal plot campaign to drop the railway

by David Knox

ANTI-RAIL campaigner Nicholas Watson has written to all of Scotland's 129 MSPs.

The Borders Party councillor hopes his letter of opposition to the planned Waverley Line - entitled Borders Railway: How to win votes and save £300 - will convince the country's politicians to back his buffer bid.

And he believes enough money could be saved by dropping the Tweedbank tracks to reinstate the recently scrapped Glasgow Airport Rail Link.

Mr Watson claims that if the Waverley route had been included in the Strategic Transport Project Review last year it would have been for the chop before the line to Glasgow Airport in the recent belt-tightening government budget announcement.

He wrote: "Taxpayers and transport buffs alike were reassured by Scotland's first Strategic Transport Projects Review last year. But despite the importance of objectively rating major projects against each other the Borders Railway was not part of that review.

"And although there are glaring differences between the two distinct parts of the project, they have never been separately considered. A line as far as Midlothian, with a good park and ride service, would be far better for the Borders than a line all the way to Galashiels.

"MSPs should understand that most Borderers know a line to Galashiels would be a colossal waste of money and couldn't possibly deliver the sweeping benefits claimed by its backers.

"The Borders Railway should have been dropped long before the Glasgow Airport Rail Link, which has a real business case.

"Please make sure the Borders Railway is properly scrutinised: get Transport Scotland to rate its usefulness against other projects - before yet more public money is thrown at it."

Mr Watson's Borders Party organised a public debate last year in St Boswells - where a vote found 206 against to only 67 for. And he is convinced he is acting on behalf of the majority of Borderers with his campaign of opposition.

The councillor for Leaderdale and Melrose told the Border Telegraph: "I think the vast majority of people want the railway plans to be properly assessed.

"I expect the MSPs will be guarded in their response to my letter but I hope they will understand there is a strong opposition to the plans here in the Borders."

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