Queen Elizabeth II is to mark the day she becomes Britain’s longest reigning monarch by opening the UK’s biggest new railway line for more than a century.
In a choice of engagement bound to invoke parallels with the reign of Queen Victoria, she will travel by steam train from Edinburgh to Tweedbank near Galashiels on September 9 to formally open the new Borders Railway, reviving a rail tradition dating back to the 1840s.
The journey, accompanied by the Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, will also be a powerful visible reminder of her love for Scotland on the day she surpasses her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria’s record for the longest reign.
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