The Borders Railway has recorded 537,327 passengers in a little over four months of service. This puts the popular service over 20% ahead of forecast, with passenger numbers expected to continue to exceed expectations throughout the rest of the year.
The £353 million (EUR 463.2 million) railway, which reopened in September 2015, connects the Borders and Midlothian with the Scottish rail network.
“We are less than five months into delivering the new Borders services and it’s clear that the Borders Railway is a huge success story for Scotland and for the rail industry. … We had a huge surge of interest during September and October and, since then, passenger numbers have stabilised. … This year, our focus is on further establishing the service and helping the communities of Midlothian and the Scottish Borders to make the most of this huge economic opportunity,” Phil Verster, Managing Director of the ScotRail Alliance, said.
“The Scottish Government has a commitment to provide reliable and affordable public transport links, to boost economic growth. The Borders Railway is a key example of how this translates into tangible benefits to our regions. The popularity of the Borders Railway is evident in the groundswell of interest there has been since the opening and by the continuing popularity of the services as we reach half a million passengers well ahead of schedule,” Derek Mackay MSP, Minister for Transport, said.
The Transport Scotland Business Case for Borders Railway, published in November 2012, predicted first year annual return passenger numbers of 647,136.
Share on:
