The leader of Carlisle City Council says he is pleased that the Scottish Government is giving serious consideration as to whether the Borders Railway can be extended to England.

Colin Glover said discussions regarding the Borderlands Iniative are

progressing well and that extending the railway, which currently runs between Edinburgh and Galashiels and Tweedbank, would benefit both Cumbria and Scotland.

He said: “We spoke to Alex Salmond when he visited Hawick as First Minister and he said once it was reopened, extending it to Carlisle should be looked at.

“We know that people in Hawick look to Carlisle to help drive their economy, so extending the railway will be major help to them as well as the city.”

Last week Transport Scotland announced that intended to award a contract for the a feasibility study to be undertaken to Jacobs UK Ltd.

Subject to completion of the mandatory standstill period, the study will start later this month and will take about seven months to complete.

Humza Yousaf, the Scottish Government's transport minister, said that extending the railway could link the Scottish Borders to "key markets".

He said: "In the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government a commitment was given to examine the case for an extension of the Borders railway along with improvements to the A1, A7 and A68.

"This study will take forward that commitment by considering how we improve accessibility in the Borders, link communities to key markets through strategic transport routes and identify where improvements to transport links are required.

"We want to build on the existing Borders railway by considering whether it should be extended to Carlisle.

"The study will also look at how we improve access from the Scottish Borders to key markets in to Edinburgh, Carlisle and Newcastle."