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View offers Hi {{fullName}} * My Independent Premium * Account details * Help centre * Logout (BUTTON) News > UK > Home News Borders Railway: One year in, Britain’s newest line has been characterised by delays and disruption Even during the best week’s performance, in March, fewer than half the trains arrived on time at Waverley station in the Scottish capital * Simon Calder Travel Correspondent @SimonCalder * Monday 5 September 2016 19:12 {{^moreThanTen}} * {{total}} comments {{/moreThanTen}} * The Scottish Borders Council said that around 22 per cent more travellers than anticipated The first year of Britain’s newest railway has been characterised by delays and disruption – blamed largely on poor planning for the £300m line. Trains started running on the Borders Railway, which extends for 35 miles from Tweedbank to Edinburgh, on 6 September 2015. Three days later, the Queen officially opened the line, on the day she became Britain’s longest-serving monarch. But Britain’s shortest-serving railway has had an annus horribilis ever since. Download the new Indpendent Premium app Sharing the full story, not just the headlines (BUTTON) Download now Even during the best week’s performance, in March, fewer than half the trains arrived on time at Waverley station in the Scottish capital. In the worst week, in December 2015, only one in eight trains arrived punctually in Edinburgh. Read more * Network Rail reverses its decision to cancel Flying Scotsman trips * Scottish Borders railway brings a historic region back into focus * New Scottish Borders Railway, flight safety, and the wrong kind of platform On more than half the days, at least one train has been cancelled, with one in six services axed during a week in early July. The research was carried out by a campaigner for the line, Bill Jamieson. He has monitored the service from October until this week. According to his data, the main cause of serious disruption – on 18 days – is failures by the train stock used, known as Class 158. During warm weather, when delivering full power on steep climbs, one engine can shut down due to overheating. “It’s not as though we’ve had a warm summer here,” said Mr Jamieson. “The units were, if not failing, at least having serious problems at Falahill Summit, the highest point on the line.” Banners in Edinburgh announce the opening Nine days of serious disruption are blamed on signalling failures. Andrew Roden of Rail magazine believes that the main cause is water leaking into the axle counters, which relay information about trains passing. He said: “A fault with a telecommunications link was also amplified when the automated fault-finding system that should detect the locations [of the failure] also failed.” Most of the line is single-track. As a result, a small issue can quickly trigger significant disruption. The original Carlisle-Edinburgh line was double-track throughout. It closed on the recommendation of the Beeching report in 1969, leaving the Borders as the only region of Britain without a rail service. Independent news email Only the best news in your inbox ____________________ Enter your email address (BUTTON) Continue (BUTTON) Continue Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid Email already exists. Log in to update your newsletter preferences Register with your social account or click here to log in receiveIndyHeadlines [ ] I would like to receive morning headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts by email Update newsletter preferences The issues have been exacerbated by the unexpectedly high numbers of travellers on the route, making “dwell time” on the platform longer than planned. Despite the poor timekeeping, many more passengers have used the line than were predicted during the planning process. The Scottish Borders Council said that demand at Galashiels and Tweedbank stations had exceeded expectations by more than 600 per cent. Overall, around 22 per cent more travellers than anticipated are using the line. David Spaven, a railway consultant and campaigner, said: “The largely single-track Borders Railway has proved to be a classic penny-wise, pound-foolish project. “Ludicrously pessimistic traffic forecasts for the three Borders stations contributed to a supposedly poor ‘business case’ which in turn led to Transport Scotland cutting back the double-track requirement for the railway from 16 miles to just 9.5 miles. We are now reaping the whirlwind in terms of unreliability.” Created with Sketch. British rail travel through the ages Show all 30 Created with Sketch. Created with Sketch. (BUTTON) Created with Sketch. British rail travel through the ages 1/30 1875 The general view of St Pancras station in London 2/30 1880 The locomotive which plunged off the Tay Rail Bridge into the Firth of Tay after its recovery from the estuary. The disaster occurred when a section collapsed during a storm in 1879 and 75 passengers were killed 3/30 1885 An East Coast Express train at King's Cross Great Northern Railway, London 4/30 1890 A porter directing a passenger on the platform of a station on the outskirts of Liverpool 5/30 1900 Passengers sitting in the observation car on the Llandudno to Llanberis line in Wales 6/30 1910 A London and North Western Railway worker in the slip-coach of a train, which detaches at a station that the rest of the train is not stopping at 7/30 1914 French people leaving Victoria Station in London on the boat train to Paris, at the start of World War I 8/30 1916 A female guard on the Metropolitan railway with her emergency lantern 9/30 1925 Holiday crowds at King's Cross railway station, London Getty Images 10/30 1928 A young Easter holiday maker tries to reach up to the ticket office window to buy his ticket 11/30 1928 The luxurious first class lounge on board a London Midland and Scottish Royal Scot train. Known as the travelling hotel the train has a lounge, bar and private boudoir 12/30 1929 Two young women pushing their luggage on a trolley at Paddington station during the holiday rush out of London 13/30 1930 A worker sitting astride a locomotive whilst cleaning the boiler 14/30 1930 A third class Southern Railway carriage being hoisted at Southampton Docks in Hampshire 15/30 1930 The Bennie railplane being demonstrated at Glasgow, Scotland. It consisted of self-propelled passenger cars driven by air screws, suspended from a steel girder 16/30 1930 Seven of the new King Class steam locomotives Getty Images 17/30 1930 Passengers on the Bennie Railplane in Glasgow; the inventor George Bennie stands at the end of the carriage 18/30 1930 Port of London Authority workers unloading a shipment of bananas from a train 19/30 1931 London and North-Eastern Railway petrol train in Yorkshire 20/30 1931 Railway workers turning the LNER 'Hush Hush' locomotive No. 100000 on a manually operated turntable while a man films the operation with a hand cranked camera 21/30 1931 On the Great Western Railway, a film crew film the automatical train control in action 22/30 1931 Racing driver Lord Howe driving his Mercedes sports car onto the float at Dover, ready to be hoisted on board the Southern Railway's cross-channel steamer 'Autocarrier' 23/30 1933 Passengers making enquiries at one of the new Southern Railway information points on Waterloo concourse 24/30 1933 Fireman Blackett of the LMS railway saying farewell to his workmates and officials at Carlisle before finishing duty. He was off to America to assist on the Royal Scot which is touring the USA after appearing at the Chicago World Fair 25/30 1935 A steam train crossing the Darwood Viaduct, Cornwall 26/30 1937 A group of schoolboys examining a streamlined Coronation Class locomotive of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) at Euston Station Getty Images 27/30 1938 A member of the Berkhampstead Riding School tests her riding prowess against the Carlisle Express in a field that adjoins the LMS railway at Tring, Hertfordshire 28/30 1956 Women seeing off loved ones on a troop train at Woolwich railway station in south London. The men, of the Royal Artillery, are bound for Salisbury Plain for retraining because of the Suez crisis 29/30 1968 The 'Flying Scotsman' steam locomotive leaves a station to travel to Edinburgh Getty Images 30/30 1972 The Brighton Belle train leaving Victoria Station, central London 1/30 1875 The general view of St Pancras station in London 2/30 1880 The locomotive which plunged off the Tay Rail Bridge into the Firth of Tay after its recovery from the estuary. The disaster occurred when a section collapsed during a storm in 1879 and 75 passengers were killed 3/30 1885 An East Coast Express train at King's Cross Great Northern Railway, London 4/30 1890 A porter directing a passenger on the platform of a station on the outskirts of Liverpool 5/30 1900 Passengers sitting in the observation car on the Llandudno to Llanberis line in Wales 6/30 1910 A London and North Western Railway worker in the slip-coach of a train, which detaches at a station that the rest of the train is not stopping at 7/30 1914 French people leaving Victoria Station in London on the boat train to Paris, at the start of World War I 8/30 1916 A female guard on the Metropolitan railway with her emergency lantern 9/30 1925 Holiday crowds at King's Cross railway station, London Getty Images 10/30 1928 A young Easter holiday maker tries to reach up to the ticket office window to buy his ticket 11/30 1928 The luxurious first class lounge on board a London Midland and Scottish Royal Scot train. Known as the travelling hotel the train has a lounge, bar and private boudoir 12/30 1929 Two young women pushing their luggage on a trolley at Paddington station during the holiday rush out of London 13/30 1930 A worker sitting astride a locomotive whilst cleaning the boiler 14/30 1930 A third class Southern Railway carriage being hoisted at Southampton Docks in Hampshire 15/30 1930 The Bennie railplane being demonstrated at Glasgow, Scotland. It consisted of self-propelled passenger cars driven by air screws, suspended from a steel girder 16/30 1930 Seven of the new King Class steam locomotives Getty Images 17/30 1930 Passengers on the Bennie Railplane in Glasgow; the inventor George Bennie stands at the end of the carriage 18/30 1930 Port of London Authority workers unloading a shipment of bananas from a train 19/30 1931 London and North-Eastern Railway petrol train in Yorkshire 20/30 1931 Railway workers turning the LNER 'Hush Hush' locomotive No. 100000 on a manually operated turntable while a man films the operation with a hand cranked camera 21/30 1931 On the Great Western Railway, a film crew film the automatical train control in action 22/30 1931 Racing driver Lord Howe driving his Mercedes sports car onto the float at Dover, ready to be hoisted on board the Southern Railway's cross-channel steamer 'Autocarrier' 23/30 1933 Passengers making enquiries at one of the new Southern Railway information points on Waterloo concourse 24/30 1933 Fireman Blackett of the LMS railway saying farewell to his workmates and officials at Carlisle before finishing duty. He was off to America to assist on the Royal Scot which is touring the USA after appearing at the Chicago World Fair 25/30 1935 A steam train crossing the Darwood Viaduct, Cornwall 26/30 1937 A group of schoolboys examining a streamlined Coronation Class locomotive of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) at Euston Station Getty Images 27/30 1938 A member of the Berkhampstead Riding School tests her riding prowess against the Carlisle Express in a field that adjoins the LMS railway at Tring, Hertfordshire 28/30 1956 Women seeing off loved ones on a troop train at Woolwich railway station in south London. The men, of the Royal Artillery, are bound for Salisbury Plain for retraining because of the Suez crisis 29/30 1968 The 'Flying Scotsman' steam locomotive leaves a station to travel to Edinburgh Getty Images 30/30 1972 The Brighton Belle train leaving Victoria Station, central London Mr Spaven, who is the author of Waverley Route: the battle for the Borders Railway, is demanding an inquiry to identify “exactly why we ended up with such a sub-optimal railway specification, based on hopelessly inadequate patronage forecasts.” The familiar problem of staff shortage is blamed for severe disruption on 14 days. To run the full schedule requires train crews to work overtime, and fewer than expected have volunteered. In addition, staff sickness has been higher than anticipated. A spokesperson for ScotRail Alliance said, “Borders Railway has been an extraordinary success. We are now providing people with an alternative way of travelling to work, to visit friends and family and to use for leisure. “There have been some challenges and we’re determined to find the solutions that overcome them and see even more customers travelling on the line in year two and beyond.” A scoping exercise is exploring the prospect of extending the Borders Railway to Carlisle, where it would join the West Coast main line. It would resurrect the entire line, and create the most direct link between Edinburgh and London. Councillor David Parker, leader of Scottish Borders Council, said the passenger figures would “provide a boost to the business case for extending the line to Carlisle.” More about Borders Railway | rail travel | Tweedbank | Edinburgh | UK | Rail | Show{{#moreThan3_total}} {{value_total}} {{/moreThan3_total}} comments Comments Share your thoughts and debate the big issues Learn more (BUTTON) {{#singleComment_p}}{{value_p}} Independent Premium comment{{/singleComment_p}}{{^singleComment_p}}{{value_p}} Independent Premium comments{{/singleComment_p}} (BUTTON) {{#singleComment_open}}{{value}} open comment{{/singleComment_open}}{{^singleComment_open}}{{value}} open comments{{/singleComment_open}} Open Comments Join the discussion (BUTTON) Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines. * You may not agree with our views, or other users’, but please respond to them respectfully * Swearing, personal abuse, racism, sexism, homophobia and other discriminatory or inciteful language is not acceptable * Do not impersonate other users or reveal private information about third parties * We reserve the right to delete inappropriate posts and ban offending users without notification You can find our Community Guidelines in full here. 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One year on – how did things go so wrong for Britain’s newest railway? 1/2 The Scottish Borders Council said that around 22 per cent more travellers than anticipated 2/2 Banners in Edinburgh announce the opening