Borders Railway reinstatement and reduction questions: EIR release

Information requested

You asked for

Borders Railway – Original Construction

A. Project Approval of Reinstatement. Please indicate:

• The date upon which the reinstatement was approved
• The body which approved the reinstatement
• The cost upon which approval was granted, and the basis of its preparation and by whom, including reference (i.e. date of calculation or index basis)
• The length of new dual track to be laid from the Millerhill junction

B. Reduction in Scope. Please indicate:

• The date upon which the scope reduction was approved
• The body which approved the scope reduction
• The revised cost upon which this decision was made, and that basis of its preparation and by whom including reference (i.e. date of calculation of index basis)
• The revised specifications – i.e. length reduced to single track and other infrastructure amendments.

Response

As the information you have requested is ‘environmental information’ for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations.  We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA. 

This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’.  Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption.  We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes.  This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.

Borders Railway – Original Construction

A. Project Approval of Reinstatement.

The date upon which the reinstatement was approved
The Bill for the Waverley Rail (Scotland) Act of the Scottish Parliament was passed by the Parliament on 14th June 2006 and received Royal Assent on 24th July 2006.

The body which approved the reinstatement
As above the Act was approved by the Scottish Parliament. 

The cost upon which approval was granted, and the basis of its preparation and by whom, including reference (i.e. date of calculation or index basis)
16 March 2006 - Transport Minister, Tavish Scott, announces in Parliament costs of £115 million @2002 prices.  Work to start 2007 and be completed in 2011.

The length of new dual track to be laid from the Millerhill junction
At the point of project approval of reinstatement on 24th July 2006, the details of the track to be laid can be evidenced via Schedule 1 – Railway Works of the Waverley Rail (Scotland) Act which I have included as Annex A to this letter. 

B. Reduction in Scope. Please indicate:

The date upon which the scope reduction was approved
The final scope and design for the Borders Railway was the responsibility of Network Rail and therefore Transport Scotland do not hold the specific information requested.  The reason why is contained in Annex B to this letter. 

The body which approved the scope reduction
Network Rail approved the final design. 

The revised cost upon which this decision was made, and that basis of its preparation and by whom including reference (i.e. date of calculation of index basis)
£294 million at 2012 prices. 

The revised specifications – i.e. length reduced to single track and other infrastructure amendments.
The final Network Rail design contained 35 miles of new single track line with 3 passing loops.

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The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI/19/02391 - Information Released

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