The Chancellor has today announced plans for spending in the UK for the next four years.
UK Government borrowing will be below 2% by the end of the current Parliament and the deficit will be reduced to zero soon after 2020.
The Scottish Government’s budget will include more than £800m extra infrastructure funding as a result of increased spending across the UK.
Local MSPs John Lamont MSP and Rachael Hamilton MSP have said there is now no excuse for the Scottish Government to hold up the reopening of Reston and East Linton stations and that the SNP must commit to fully funding the stations immediately.
Despite the Scottish Government recently increasing its funding commitment to 60% of the costs of the stations, there remains a £2.42m shortfall.
John Lamont MSP said: “The Scottish Government now has a massive £800m more to spend on infrastructure projects in Scotland. Squabbling with local councils over the extra £2.4m needed to reopen Reston and East Linton stations now looks a bit trivial.
“The Scottish Government should take this opportunity to get both projects off the ground. Local residents have been waiting long enough and are becoming increasingly impatient with the SNP’s delays.
“The economic benefits of opening Reston Station are clear and it is now time to introduce a much needed rail service to thousands of residents living in this part of the Borders.”
Rachael Hamilton MSP said: “East Lothian and the Scottish Borders need these stations reopened. An unprecedented number of new housing is coming to the area and we need strong reliable infrastructure in order to cope with the demand that will be placed on our transport system.
“This was a priority for the Scottish Conservatives in our manifesto this year and the Scottish Government claim it is a priority for them too. The reopening of East Linton is exactly the type of project the SNP should be getting on with sooner rather than later.”