Track-laying has been completed on the new Borders Railway.

The milestone marks the end of almost 30 miles of rail installation on the new line which runs from the Scottish Borders to Edinburgh.

The project to lay the track started in October 2014, and since then more than 1,000 rails have been put in place across more than 90,000 sleepers through the use of a specialist rail installation machine.

With the rails now in place, the team behind the project can focus on completing ballast spreading, tamping and welding on the track, installing signalling and communications equipment. Completing the construction and fit-out of seven new stations – Shawfair, Eskbank, Newtongrange, Gorebridge, Stow, Galashiels and Tweedbank – can also get underway.

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It is anticipated construction work will be completed in the summer months, with the first service scheduled to launch in September.

Keith Brown, Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, said: "It is a huge honour to put the final piece of track in place and travel on the first train to run into the Borders in almost half a century.

"The reopening of this line offers a once in a generation opportunity to deliver a major economic and social boost for the communities it will serve.

"This is the longest domestic railway to be built in Britain in over 100 years and is a fantastic engineering achievement for Scotland and for the rail industry.

"More importantly, the Borders Railway is the realisation of a long-held aspiration that will see community links restored, local economies boosted and opportunities improved for many."

Hugh Wark, Project Manager, Network Rail, added: "The completion of rail installation is a major milestone for the project and keeps the line on-track to open for passengers in September.

"While we still have a significant amount of infrastructure to complete along the route – from installing signalling to completing the stations – we're confident that this much-anticipated addition to Scotland's railway will be delivered on schedule."

Photo: Infrastructure Secretary Keith Brown (Centre) with Hugh Wark, Network Rail project director for the Borders Railway, and Nissar Mohammed of main contractor BAM. Network Rail.

(JP/MH)