The Skipton East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership (SELRAP) made a presentation to the full meeting of Hyndburn Borough Council on 11th January 2018 to request support for their campaign to reconnect the 12 mile stretch of railway between Skipton and Colne.
The campaign is running in conjunction with Transport for North who made a similar presentation at Council in July 2017. TfN are producing reports which look at the current transport links, how they are performing, how they support the Northern economy, how they would cope with future growth, and what the gaps are. The conclusions will inform the Strategic Transport Plan, identifying the case for investment in the North’s transport system.
Both schemes have received support from the Hyndburn Labour Councillors and letters will be sent to Westminster to lend weight to the argument for improved transport links between Lancashire and Yorkshire.
Rishton Councillor Jeff Scales said, "Whenever I commute to Leeds it always amazes me how long it takes and how many changes I have to make. It would make a big difference having a direct route."
Cllr Ken Moss said, "There is now a big push to connect up Lancashire and Yorkshire in a better way and you only need to drive to Skipton to see that improvements are needed. Once you get to the end of the M65 it can be a nightmare. The fact that there is no direct rail route through the Pennines just emphasises the problem."
Provisional costings for the 12 mile stretch of railway to be reopened come in at £100m and would provide a direct link from Blackpool all the way through to Hull.
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