Her Majesty the Queen today marks becoming Britain’s longest serving Monarch by officially opening the new Borders Railway.

The £294M project to reinstate the 48km railway – which closed in 1969 after publication of the Beeching Report – links Edinburgh with Tweedbank. It forms part of a line once known as the Waverley Route.

Seven new stations have been built, 95 bridges refurbished, 42 new bridges built and two Victorian tunnels renovated.

Scottish Government’s Infrastructure Secretary Keith Brown said: “We are delighted to deliver this project which will improve economic performance in the region, help spread wealth and provide a sustainable alternative to the car.”

Network Rail project director Hugh Wark added: “It is a very iconic line and famous in railway circles as being one of the most savage closures of the Beeching era. It is great to have helped the line to reopen.”

Construction of the Borders Railway project was carried out by BAM Nuttall on behalf of Network Rail, Transport Scotland, Midlothian Council, the Scottish Borders Council and the Edinburgh City Council.

Much of the route features single track and there are three ‘dynamic passing loops’ to allow trains to pass one another. The Campaign for Borders Rail is now pushing for more of the former Waverley Route to reopen, extending the new railway south to the town of Hawik and on to Carlisle.