SELRAP, Campaign to reopen the Skipton to Colne line

[LanceWA1066]

SELRAP (Skipton East Lancashire Rail Action partnership) was established back in the summer of 2001 with the objective of campaigning for the reinstatement of the railway beween Skipton North Yorkshire and Colne Pennine Lancashire as part of the national rail network to form a trans-pennine route linking the City Regions of Manchester, Leeds and central Lancashire.

Vision
Restoration of the missing link between Skipton and Colne will provide a strategic route connecting the towns of Central and Pennine Lancashire with the Leeds City regions. It avoids congested lines in and around Manchester and would relieve presure of the busy Huddersfield and Calder vally trans-Pennine routes.
Opening up the opportunities
The impact of re-opening the Skipton to colne railway would be reinforced if considered in conbination with investment in increasing line capacity between Blackburn and Bolton and reinstating Todmorden West Curve.
It would become the catalyst that leads to the restoration of links from Colne, Nelson, Burnley and Accrington to Bolton and Manchester.
It could also provide a route linking Central Lancashire and the West Coast Main Line with the East Coast Main Line and West and East Coast ports.

Note: reinstating the Todmorden West Curve would give a journey time between Skipton and Manchester of 1 hour 5 minutes, as apposed to 2 hours 9 minutes via Blackburn and Bolton.

Reinstatement of the Skipton to Colne railway would improve connectivitiy in a number of ways:

• Provide a missing link between the Central Lancashire and Leeds City regions.
• Complementing investment in improving links to Manchester from Pennine Lancashire.
• Provide access to the "gatway" inter change at Preston Station.
• Increasing overall trans-Pennine rail capacity.
• Improving journey times between Pennine Lancashire and the Leeds City Regions and the residents of parts of North Yorkshire and Manchester.

Petition to the PM has just been set up, and SELRAP would be very greatful if you could sign this, please go to http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/reopen

further info can be found at our website which is:http://www.selrap.org.uk

Regards; Lance W Austrang SELRAP Publicity & Marketing Consultant.

 

[driver9000]

Occasionally they will charter a train from Northern (normally 2x156s) and run it between Colne & Skipton the long way round via Blackburn.

Reopening Colne - Skipton will also create a new diversion route for Blackpool - York services when Copy Pit is closed for engineering work, also if the line was doubled freight could be sent that way too.

Consider the petition signed
Good luck with the campaign

 

[bluenoxid]

The Aire Valley will require major upgrade works for any extra trains. Even running Skipton - Burnley will require work around Skipton station, possibly an extra platform.

I do like the idea and would love to see it open as it could do so many things. It would become the shortest route to electrify for cross pennine diversions.

The area is incredibly deprived and the line would give it so many benefits

Wouldnt a second curve be needed to prevent the need for reversal for Colne trains at Burnley?

 

[PhilipW]

It's electrified at Skipton.
It's electrified at Preston.

Re-opening Skipton-Colne as double track and electrifying the whole route from Preston seems to me like the way to go.

This could be the Airdrie-Bathgate of England. Its potential is enormous. A transpennine electrified route for both passengers and freight with a Preston to Leeds through EMU service - it's a winner.

 

[driver9000]

I think if it was goer, the existing Colne service would be extended to/from Skipton.

 

[LanceWA1066]

The Skipton to Manchester train would reverse at Rose Grove to go down to the Todmorden curve, and on to Manchester.

Cost Benefit ratios are: Single track 2.41 Double 1.52

 

[bluenoxid]

Wow, that is a fairly good ratio for single. Does the cost benefit ratio take into account electrification?

 

[LanceWA1066]

The study which was carried out by consultants JMP did not include this, as we were just upgrading the business case, so that we could prove to government that this was was not a dead case, so now we have 120 MP's, 38 MEP's and 46 Peers now backing the case to have this link re-opened once more.
BY the way, DR Beeching didn't close the line in 1970 it was the transport Minister of the time, passenger numbers had declined but this had been due to bad management during the private ownership during the lead up to going into BR ownership, we know this from records kept by some of the worker on the railway of the time.

Some info of this is available to the public via a website, which gives details of woking life on the railway for the last 10 years of the line, which I will give details about later.

 

[me123]

This could be the Airdrie-Bathgate of England. Its potential is enormous. A transpennine electrified route for both passengers and freight with a Preston to Leeds through EMU service - it's a winner.

I fully agree. I live in Coatbridge, one of the towns directly affected by A-B. The line is not yet open but the potential for travel to Edinburgh will be enormous and will cause a boom in the local area. I can see myself using the link very often.

As for this project, I can see similarities. Reopening this link would be an invaluable asset for the local area and will fill in the gap in the rail network. I have signed.

 

[gordonthemoron]

I've got a book called 'Stopping Train Britain' from the 1980's, featuring 10 routes which the author didn't think would continue for much longer. Included in this is Preston-Colne which didn't appeared that well used from the text. What's it like nowadays?

 

[furryfeet]

what potential is there for freight ?

If so, what is the projected gauge clearance for the route to enable this to happen ?

 

[PhilipW]

AS they will be relaying track between Gannow Junction and Skipton, the gauge can be anything they want it to be. So it could just laid as W12 from the start.

 

[LanceWA1066]

I've got a book called 'Stopping Train Britain' from the 1980's, featuring 10 routes which the author didn't think would continue for much longer. Included in this is Preston-Colne which didn't appeared that well used from the text. What's it like nowadays?

The rail line from Preston to Colne has had a steady increase in passenger numbers over the last 2 years due to the community rail partnership deal, they have more tourists flocking to the area, that includes from the US ( American Quaker movement ), which was started on the famous, Pendle Hill by George Fox.
We also have the big Rhythm and Blues festival in Colne, that is held every long weekend in August, for which late night music trains are laid on.
Colne is also the place were Wallace Hartley The Titanic's Bandleader was Born and burried on the 18th May 1912, 30 Thousand people lined the steets of Colne on that Day.

 

[GNERman]

I am just bringing back this old post.
At a recent meeting SELRAP was talking about a meeting in the near future with Lord Adonis in London who seems interested in the campaign.
Thanks

 

[Waverley125]

good, it's an excellent project. a third route between leeds & manchester, plus a faster route Leeds-Preston with (possible) full electrification.

 

[GNERman]

good, it's an excellent project. a third route between leeds & manchester, plus a faster route Leeds-Preston with (possible) full electrification.

Have you signed the petition...