A plan to reopen the Waverley rail line south of Hawick to take timber traffic off the roads has been ruled out by a new study.
The report, commissioned by Scottish Enterprise, the Borders Timber Transport Group and the forestry industry, concluded that the level of timber-related traffic removed from roads would be just 3-4%.
One of the main arguments supporting reopening of a single-track freight line was the projected future increase in timber harvesting. But the the report, compiled by consultant the IBI Group, said rail’s ability to offset timber tonnage growth was limited in the Borders because average distances for sourcing are too short.
The report stated: “The relatively minimal impact of rail on stemming road-tonnage growth is not entirely surprising, given rail’s niche role in longer timber hauls, and the limited number of destination plants which are rail-connected.”
The consultant estimated about 100,000 tonnes of timber per year would be transported on the suggested Waverley route from the Borders and Kielder forests. This would represent a shift of timber away from the west coast main line, which the report says has a greater capacity than the single-track railway.
