After many months of uncertainty, there has finally been some positive news regarding the Borders Railway extension to Hawick, Newcastleton and onto Carlisle.
It was recently confirmed that the UK and Scottish governments will provide matching funds of £5 million each for a feasibility study on the extension.
I have championed this feasibility study for many years and I had successfully lobbied the Conservative UK government to put forward the funding for it.
When Labour took office, I started to think it may never happen. They put the feasibility study on hold and didn't show much enthusiasm for progressing it.
However, I continued to work hard and campaigned relentlessly to encourage the UK government to go ahead with the plans.
Most recently, I managed to secure a debate in the UK Parliament on transport links between Scotland and the UK, which I used to urge Labour to agree to progress the Borders Railway extension.
My Scottish Conservative colleagues have also applied consistent pressure to both the UK and Scottish governments to encourage progress. Rachael Hamilton MSP and several Scottish Conservative councillors have asked questions, written letters to government ministers, and built momentum for the extension.
All of our efforts have paid off now that Labour have stuck with previous Conservative government plans to go ahead with the feasibility study and appoint a project manager to assess the benefits and challenges of extending the line beyond Tweedbank.
We're all now delighted to see real progress on this vital project after many years of campaigning to make it happen.
We will continue to work constructively with the UK and Scottish governments where possible to deliver for the Borders.
The announcement of the feasibility study is wonderful news for local communities, commuters and businesses.
But there's a long way to go to make sure this project keeps moving forward, so we'll keep pushing for more progress.
We know it would bring more jobs to the local area, help businesses to grow, and give our economy a much-needed boost.
It would also help to transform the local rail network and improve the accessibility of public transport routes.
Those positive developments are worth fighting for and I will continue to do whatever I can to make this extension happen for the benefit of the Borders.
