SNP candidate for Eskdale Sylvia Moffat welcomed the announcement that a study into transport across the south of Scotland will begin later this month.
Extending the Borders railway – including an extension to Langholm – will be one of the options considered in the study, commissioned by Transport Scotland.
SNP MSP Joan McAlpine – who fought for Langholm to be included in the study and recently included the reopening of the station in her submission to the Scottish Government’s National Transport Strategy – also welcomed the announcement.
The pair recently attended a meeting in Langholm where it was clear there was much local support for the move.
Commenting, Ms McAlpine said:
“I campaigned for Langholm to be included in the study looking at extending the Borders Railway, and it will be great to see it getting under way.
“If the station was to reopen it was be a major economic boost for the town – you only need to look at how successful the Borders Railway has been to see the potential.”
Sylvia Moffat added:
“It is clear from speaking to folk in Langholm that they all think the reopening of the station as part of a Borders Railway would bring fantastic benefits to the town.
“Regardless of the outcome of the study, I look forward to working hard for the local community to ensure that all transport decisions taken at the Council level will be made with Langholm and the surrounding villages in mind.”
The study will look at improving transport provision in the south of Scotland across all modes including road, rail and public transport.
Transport Scotland this week announced the intention to award the contract to Jacobs UK Ltd. Subject to completion of the mandatory standstill period, the study will start later this month and is expected to take around seven months to complete.
The findings will help inform the forthcoming refresh of the Scottish Government’s Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR) which will look at future transport proposals for the whole of Scotland, including the Scottish Border and Dumfries and Galloway.
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