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Campaigners push to reopen Colne to Skipton railway for speedier Lancashire-Yorkshire connections

Campaigners push to reopen Colne to Skipton railway for speedier Lancashire-Yorkshire connections

A campaign group pushing for government and rail industry backing to revive the Colne-Skipton railway, linking Lancashire and Yorkshire with fast trains, will hold its annual general meeting in Colne next month. The Skipton-East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership (SELRAP) has lined up Mike Smith from Network Rail’s Restoring Your Railway program to speak about successful line reopenings in Dartmoor and Northumberland. The group also revealed plans for upcoming talks with a government transport minister.

The Northumberland Line, reopened north of Newcastle in December 2024, added seven new stations and saw 50,000 passenger trips in its first month, per Northumberland County Council. The Dartmoor Line, back in service since 2021, took just nine months of track work to complete. Last fall, SELRAP expressed optimism after post-election discussions hinted at support for restoring the 12-mile Yorkshire-Lancashire connection, shut down in the 1970s.

Currently, the Lancashire stretch serving Colne, Nelson, and Brierfield is a single-track line with sparse service toward Blackburn and Preston, ending abruptly at Colne. Much of the original track bed to Skipton remains intact, fueling SELRAP’s vision. They’re advocating for a new station in Earby near Barnoldswick and expanded, high-speed services to Blackpool, Preston, Liverpool, Keighley, Bradford, Leeds, and Hull. Campaigners argue that economically challenged areas like Pendle, Burnley, and Hyndburn suffer from poor transport links.

The effort has heavyweight supporters: Drax, an energy firm with a Selby power station and renewable projects, sees freight potential, while East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce and Skipton Building Society also endorse it. Last year, retired Rail magazine writer Steve Broadbent told SELRAP the Colne-Skipton link could rank third for government backing in this parliament. “It’s a low-cost way to bring good news to deprived areas,” he said, adding that rail upgrades and congestion on the Manchester-Huddersfield-Leeds corridor could bolster the case for this northern route.

SELRAP media officer Jane Wood of Barnoldswick said this week, “At the meeting, we’ll update members and guests on our progress. We’re thrilled that Robbie Moore, MP for Keighley and Ilkley, recently secured a commitment from Transport Minister Heidi Alexander for a discussion about SELRAP.”

The government recently greenlit a new Oxford-Cambridge rail line and a third Heathrow runway, prompting questions about northern investment. In Lancashire, Skelmersdale—England’s largest town without rail—has its own campaign, while Morecambe, Lancaster, and Heysham eye upgrades tied to the Eden Project. Rossendale, another rail-less area, seeks ties to Greater Manchester.

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