As all will know the re-opening of over 30 miles of the Scottish Borders route (largest brought back in GB)has been a remarkable thing. However a week ago I noticed a small news item that a rural country protection agency were given £30,000 pound for a bridge re-organisation but they want £300,000! I can hardly see the point of where they are coming from when you consider the rail route was there long before them and anyway such a neat corner makes no great difference to their project.
New Borders Railway claim nonsense
- Thread starter rjhowie
- Start date
Hi rumour3.
I think I came across the item in the BBCTV red button news text system last week. It really did make me shake my head when one has to consider when the line originally built back in Victoria times! And of course the long standing bridge was part of the general scenery bt neede modern attention for the brought back line.
I think I came across the item in the BBCTV red button news text system last week. It really did make me shake my head when one has to consider when the line originally built back in Victoria times! And of course the long standing bridge was part of the general scenery bt neede modern attention for the brought back line.
Here's one http://edinburgh.stv.tv/articles/13...esk-bridge-at-centre-of-compensation-dispute/ and a more recent update http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-south-scotland-34913650
Far from their claim being nonsense, the fact that the charity made significant investment in the restoration and upkeep of the bridge suggests some merit to their claim, though maybe not to the tune of £570,000 as reported.
amigacooke
Well-known member
That seems to be quite a tricky one. There's not a lot you can buy for £10K these days so I think the charity is being done.
A very interesting case. Another way of looking at it is that the viaduct will almost certainly cost many more thousands to keep in good order, and, had the trust kept ownership, it would have continued to have to find the money from somewhere. If they took it on for the love of the structure, what better way of keeping it than putting a railway back on it? I can understand why they might feel it's worth more, but it could be argued that it was more of a liability than an asset, had it not been needed for the railway.
I can understand why compulsory purchase values property on the basis of a 'no scheme' world, to prevent owners getting exorbitant payouts for vital land. That said, it's hard to put a value on something like a viaduct, without any real commercial function. £10k? £100k? Or £1? I guess the valuers can't just go online to find other similar properties sold locally...
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It would be interesting to know how much the trust paid for it.
R3
I can understand why compulsory purchase values property on the basis of a 'no scheme' world, to prevent owners getting exorbitant payouts for vital land. That said, it's hard to put a value on something like a viaduct, without any real commercial function. £10k? £100k? Or £1? I guess the valuers can't just go online to find other similar properties sold locally...
.It would be interesting to know how much the trust paid for it.
R3
It has been reported that there have been a nightmare scenario ion the re-opened Borders (well part of it over 30 plus miles!). Since the project came back into operation there have been a whole raft of train delays and many cancellations due to serious signally problems. Now it has to be said that a great job was done on this route and within budget and the time-scale but this is a disgrace. A line built and such a series of signalling mess-ups?