Scottish £174.6m rail link gets go ahead

The Scottish Parliament has voted almost unanimously in favour of reopening the Waverley Railway project. Turner & Townsend will project manage the £174.6m, 35-mile line that will link Edinburgh and Tweedbank with trains expected to start running in 2011.

Director of project management at T&T, David Fox, said: "This is a great result for Scottish Borders Council and its partners Midlothian Council, City of Edinburgh Council and Scottish Enterprise Borders after many years of hard work. We now have to ensure the project is delivered at the highest possible standard and within the timescale and budget specified."

The project will include the construction of rail infrastructure on an existing rail column, bridges and other structures, seven new railway stations and the establishment of a regular passenger service.

T&T has been working with client the Scottish Border Council, the promoter of the Waverley Railway project, since 2000. It was initially appointed to prepare the Public Transport Fund application for the development stage as well as assess the alternative procurement methodologies and funding mechanisms for delivery of the project.