Lord Steel: New Scottish Borders railway is 'good news'

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The final piece of track on the new Borders railway was clipped into place on 12 February, in a ceremony at Tweedbank station. It was shut by Richard Beeching in 1969 when he cut many railway lines, which left areas on the Scottish borders without a major rail link. Former Liberal leader Lord Steel, who was then a local MP and campaigned against the closures, said it is an economic boost for the area and “it was a great mistake ever closing it". “It left the the Scottish Borders as the largest area in UK without a railway station and it became more and more difficult to attract any new industrial investment there,” said Lord Steel.