The £295m Borders Rail project to reopen the Waverley Line into the Borders from Edinburgh to Galashiels is more ambitious.
The Borders Railway was and will be a single-track branchline, however, the Airdrie-Bathgate line is rebuilt as double-track electrified railway (with electrification of the rest of the line too) -- so it is not less ambitious. In fact, the price tag is slightly larger:
Frequently Asked Questions - Airdrie Bathgate Rail Link project
The capital cost for the project is £312 million at 2006 Q1 prices.
...vs.
Delivery & Funding | Transport Scotland
As stated by the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change in Parliament in March 2008, exact construction costs cannot be disclosed as this would prejudice future financial discussions, however an overall cost estimate of £235M - £295M at 2012 prices was announced.
The for me most interesting angle of this is Scottish Devolution. Scotland's autonomy includes the initiative on new infrastructure projects. And the Scottish government has a more ambitious programme of rail upgrades than England, and with less PPP madness. Other projects already completed include Larkhall-Milngavie: 6.3 km of new or rebuilt track (re-opened 9 December 2005); and Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine: another diesel branchline, 21 km (re-opened on 15 May 2008). There are further electrification plans. *Lunatic*, n. One whose delusions are out of fashion.
The Borders Railway was and will be a single-track branchline,
In fact, the Waverley Line from Edinburgh through Galshiels to Carlisle was one of the major twin track routes South.
Here's Stow station, which is to be re-opened.
"Any economic unit can emit money. The serious problem is to get it accepted" Hyman Minsky
