Press release -
Artwork train brings Borders Railway to life
A massive artwork on wheels has been unveiled to promote the new Borders Railway throughout the country.
With just six months to go until Scotland’s most exciting rail project in over a century is open to the public, Infrastructure Secretary Keith Brown revealed the 70 metre long train wrapped in specially-designed livery to promote some of the top attractions of those areas served by the new railway.
The livery has been designed to catch the eye of train-loving kids and rail enthusiasts as the three-carriage Class 170 travels between Scotland’s seven cities and it features illustrations of Edinburgh Zoo’s beloved pandas, Midlothian’s famous and historic Rosslyn Chapel and the Scottish Borders’ world-class scenery.
Unveiling the train at Edinburgh’s Waverley Station, Mr Brown said:
“The Borders Railway is one of the Scottish Government’s biggest infrastructure projects and the longest domestic railway to be built in the UK in over a hundred years.
“The communities of the Scottish Borders, Midlothian and Edinburgh will all benefit from the new work, study and social opportunities. But we also want to maximise the benefits by bringing people from all over Scotland to use this new line.
“This train will enter normal service in the ScotRail fleet and will operate between Scotland’s cities, exposing the Borders Railway to many more people throughout the country.
“Its eye-catching design will be a fantastic and memorable promotional tool and I look forward to seeing it becoming a real hit on social media as it makes its way around Scotland.”
The Borders Railway will become operational for passengers in September. Construction of the 30-mile line is progressing well to be complete by June, when Network Rail will hand it over to ScotRail for 12 weeks of driver training ahead of the grand opening.
As well as the commuter benefits, there will be a steam train experience to draw even more tourists to the former Waverley line. And a home is being built for the Great Tapestry of Scotland at the Tweedbank station.
Mike Cantlay, Chairman of VisitScotland said:
“The Borders Railway is a hugely exciting opportunity for Scottish tourism and we are looking forward to working with and supporting businesses to develop new ideas, products and experiences. This train artwork is a brilliant way of promoting this exciting new attraction, highlighting some of the wonderful experiences visitors can enjoy along the way.
“Railway journeys have captured the imagination of visitors for decades, and to be able to present to the world this magnificent new train line which takes people on a journey deep into the heart of Sir Walter Scott country, is truly exceptional.
“The Borders Railway is a new adventure for visitors to Scotland to experience, and we look forward to welcoming people from the UK and overseas to this impressive new attraction.”
Contact:
Transport Scotland Press Office : 0141 272 7195
Topics
- Tourism
Categories
- corporate communications
- borders railway
Regions
- Scotland
Notes to Editors
- Follow us on twitter: @visitscotnews
- VisitScotland is Scotland’s national tourism organisation. Its core purpose is to maximise the economic benefit of tourism to Scotland.
- The organisation has three key roles:
- To market Scotland to all parts of the world to attract visitors
- To provide information – and inspiration – to visitors and potential visitors so they get the best out of a visit to Scotland
- To provide quality assurance to visitors and quality advice to the industry and partners to help the industry meet and strive to exceed customer expectations
- VisitScotland works together with tourism businesses to make tourism a success for everyone and ensure the industry continues to grow.
- The organisation employs 700 people and has offices and VisitScotland Information Centres across Scotland.
- According to a recent Deloitte study, the tourism economy supports 270,000 jobs in Scotland in 20,000 diverse businesses. The same study calculates that the tourism economy contributes £11 billion annually (direct and indirect impact, including day visits) and supports around 10 per cent of employment in Scotland. Almost 16 million tourists take overnight trips to Scotland.
- For VisitScotland’s press releases go to http://www.visitscotland.org/media_centre.aspx, tourism statistics and frequently asked questions go to http://www.visitscotland.org/
- Where possible, a Gaelic speaker will be made available for broadcast interviews on request (Far an tèid iarraidh, agus far am bheil sin nar comas, bruidhinnidh neach le Gàidhlig aig agallamh)
- For holiday information on Scotland go to www.visitscotland.com
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Year of Food and Drink 2015
- 2015 is the Year of Food and Drink, a celebration of Scotland’s natural larder and the role that food and drink plays in shaping our economic success.
- Scotland generates over £2.5m per day through food and drink tourism.
- A series of themed months will create an appetite for key areas of Scotland’s food and drink industries – from seafood and whisky to berries and high-quality meat
- For more information, visit www.visitscotland.com/tastescotland
