New station 'will be considered'

Mr Khan said a new station was something which could be considered

A new station could be built in southern Scotland as part of a new franchise for the East Coast rail line.

The possibility was raised by Transport Minister Sadiq Khan during an exchange in the House of Commons with Borders MP Michael Moore.

The government is set to strip National Express of the franchise for the route and put it back out to tender.

Mr Khan said new stations were an element which could be considered in any new agreement.

Lib Dem Mr Moore joined forces with his party colleague Alan Beith in seeking assurances about the fate of Berwick station on the East Coast line.

'Best deal'

There are currently no railway stations in the Scottish Borders and Mr Moore said that meant the facility in nearby Northumberland was important to his constituents.

He asked: "Will the minister give a specific pledge that under government control and the new contract, services to and from Berwick-upon-Tweed will not be altered unless they are improved?"

Mr Khan said a new station was "one example of the sort of thing that we will be considering when the contract next goes to tender".

"We will see whether we can include such things as a new station," he said.

"We need to ensure that we take on board the concerns and issues raised by parliamentarians and stakeholders to get the best deal possible for passengers."

A campaign has been fought for some time to have a station at Reston, in the Borders, reopened on the East Coast line after more than 40 years.