MSPs Christine Grahame and Jeremy Purvis clash over support for Borders railway line

The BBC reports that a war of words has broken out between two South of Scotland MSPs over the plans to reopen the rail line between Edinburgh and the Borders.

The SNP's Christine Grahame has accused Lib Dem Jeremy Purvis of putting the scheme in jeopardy. She said that by seeking the reinstatement of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link (Garl) he could be putting the £295m Borders development at risk.

However, Mr Purvis dismissed the claims that support for the Glasgow plan would have any impact on the other route.

In the mean time, the Border Telegraph says over 50 businesses from across Europe are expressing an interest in delivering the new rail service.

Stewart Stevenson, the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change, recently welcomed 58 businesses to a marketing event designed to provide information about what contractors could expect from the project.

The winning contractor will be announced in 2011, with work starting the same year. The completion date is currently scheduled for 2014. The new line could create up to 400 new jobs during the construction phase and cut accidents on the A7 and A68 roads by around ten a year.

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