A railway campaign group has reignited its bid to extend a cross-Border line to Carlisle.

Campaign for Borders Rail have ramped up the pressure on transport bosses after it was revealed earlier this week that Transport Scotland is considering to electrify the line from Edinburgh to Tweedbank in the Scottish Borders.

While the group acknowledge that the electrification would enable faster services and a higher frequency on the line, they have kickstarted a new push to keep the extension of the railway firmly in the spotlight of politicians and transport chiefs on both sides of the Border.

Members from the campaign team want the line extended to go down through the Border town of Hawick, stopping off at Newcastleton and Longtown, and connecting to Carlisle.

Robert Drysdale, the campaign’s rail service planner, said: “These enhancements would also ensure that the existing line is made ready for the proposed extension to Hawick and Carlisle, and would allow scope for inter-city services to run between Edinburgh and Northern England via the Borders line.

“With these upgrades, a train journey from Hawick to Edinburgh would take around one hour, faster than any other transport mode.”

The Borders Railway between Edinburgh and Tweedbank reopened in 2015 after many years of campaigning from the group.