The answers given below to these frequently asked questions are correct as at 1st November 2020 to the best of SELRAP’s knowledge and belief.
The answers are provided for information purposes only.
They are not intended to provide, nor should they be relied upon as providing definitive legal advice.
You should seek your own legal advice before entering into any transaction in relation to any of the matters mentioned below:

SELRAP is the campaign group Skipton East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership whose members are working towards getting the railway between Skipton and Colne re-opened. We rely on donations and our large membership to keep up the work.

It is difficult to identify the reasons for closure, which was not proposed by the Beeching report. In the years before closure, the line enjoyed an adequate service with many through trains to/from Manchester, but not to/from Leeds which is now seen as an important destination for services on the line.

SELRAP's campaign is for a passenger service to link East Lancashire with Leeds and other conurbations in Yorkshire and this is the basis of the studies being undertaken for the Department for Transport. Freight services will enhance the business case and help the local and national economies and SELRAP supports this.

SELRAP anticipates that there will be 2 passenger trains per hour in each direction and 1 freight train per hour in each direction (although not necessarily in every hour). However, when the line has been reopened, this might change, depending on demand. Currently, there is only sufficient capacity near Leeds for one freight train per hour in each direction.

Current services in the north of England include some with very poor performance which Transport for the North is seeking to redress. If the reinstated railway is to succeed, the service will need to be efficient and reliable. SELRAP believes that it can build on the success of the Airedale Line.

Of course, SELRAP realises that fares will be an important part of the predictions on how many people the new service will attract, but it will be decided at a much later stage. We hope that fare levels will be sensible and set at a level that people can afford.

SELRAP anticipates that the route will be double track, but we need to wait for the Department for Transport's Engineering Study to see whether there are any other viable options.

SELRAP anticipates that the road will be lowered as the railway would need to be at its original level because of nearby bridge constraints. However, until the Department for Transport has undertaken its Engineering Studies, we don't know what will be proposed.

The Department for Transport's studies assume that there will be one new station in Earby, but its location has not been determined yet.

It is impossible to quantify the exact cost of reinstatement at this stage, as this will depend to a large extent on the final engineering solutions proposed.

The proposal has now entered the "Develop" stage which will include various studies that will identify issues and options. All being well, the results will inform decisions on further approvals.

SELRAP considers that the route could be open for passengers within 7 years of the start of the Engineering Studies (which we hope will start very soon). This seems a frustratingly long time for us, but public consultation and thorough consideration of any objections is essential and a legal requirement.

No. The Secretary of State for Transport will decide who will build the line, but it will not be SELRAP.

Environmental considerations require that as much traffic as possible (both passenger and freight) be transferred from road to rail. Experience suggests that any new road improvement would provide only temporary relief from congestion and noise, with bottlenecks being merely transferred to other locations.

There will have to be some changes to the roads to build the railway to current standards. For example, we don't expect the original level crossings to be brought back. The options for the railway and road alignments will emerge from the Department for Transport Engineering Studies.

Until the engineering studies have been completed, it is not possible to indicate the precise nature of the work involved or how that work will be sequenced to minimise disruption.

SELRAP understands that new level crossings are no longer allowed on railways such as the Skipton to Colne line although level crossings are being used on other trans-Pennine rail upgrades.

This awaits the Department for Transport's Engineering Studies for an answer.

The route options for Earby will emerge from the Department for Transport's Engineering Studies.

Yes. SELRAP understands that a Development Consent Order must be obtained to rebuild the railway. This is because it is a nationally important infrastructure proposal. The procedure is set out in law and this includes the requirement for a thorough public consultation and, if necessary, a public inquiry to consider objections.

A decision on the final route will only be known after the process which includes Engineering Studies, public consultation, and a report by the Planning Inspectorate. The Secretary of State for Transport will make the final decision.

No. SELRAP has established good working relations with most of the organisations that will have inputs to the many factors that need to be considered and encourages them to help achieve the benefits that the railway will bring, but the final decision will be made by the Secretary of State for Transport.

No. SELRAP has to await the outcome of the Department of Transport's Engineering Studies (like everyone else) before it can fully understand the various possible options.

SELRAP anticipates that the railway will lead to a reduction in pollution levels as a result of the modal shift from road to rail, but the evidence for this will only emerge from the Environmental Impact Assessment. SELRAP also believes that the improvement to the socio-economic prospects for East Lancashire will generally lift property values. It seems to SELRAP that it is unlikely that the Government will fund the railway if it doesn't agree with SELRAP on this.

Consideration of any adverse impacts that the new railway might have will be set out in the Environmental Impact Statement that will be prepared before the public consultation.

The Department for Transport's Engineering Studies will determine how much land is needed although SELRAP anticipates that the original land boundary will be sufficient for much of the route. We expect that the Department for Transport will make enquires on land interests in due course.

It is not for SELRAP to advise on this. We understand that compensation may be payable in certain circumstances prescribed by law, but you must make your own enquiries.

The procedure for public consultation and objections will be advertised once specific proposals have been formulated. At this stage general guidance (not specific to this proposal) can be found at: https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/

SELRAP Data Protection Policy

SELRAP is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains how we use any personal information we collect about you.

• What information we collect about you

• How we will use the information about you

• Security

• Access to your information and amending your information.

• Cookies

• Other websites

• Transfer of your data internationally

• Changes to our privacy policy

• How to contact us

What information do we collect about you?

In general, you can visit SELRAP’s website without disclosing any personal information about yourself. There are times, however, when we may request information from you. We collect information you give to us by email, various forms on the website, over the telephone, face to face or by postal mail.

We collect information about you when you join or donate. Website usage information may also be collected using cookies.

How will we use the information about you?

We will send you campaigning information by email we think may be of interest to you. We will continue to send you information by post where we have assessed there is a legitimate interest for us to do so.

We may use your information collected from the website to personalise your repeat visits to our website.

We may disclose your data to our service providers who render services to us or you on our behalf such as delivering postal mail, sending emails and processing payments (all of which are contractually obliged to act only on our instructions and in accordance with applicable laws, including GDPR).

Security

We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. To prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect.

Access to your information and amending your information

If you would like a copy of some or all of the personal information we hold about you, please email davidfoat1@gmail.com or write to us at SELRAP Data Controller David Foat 54 Varley Street Colne BB8 0RB. We may make a reasonable charge for this service. (e.g., for repeated requests).

We want to make sure that your personal information is accurate and up to date. You may ask us to correct or remove information you think is inaccurate. We will retain some basic information to avoid sending you unwanted materials in the future and to ensure we do not duplicate information. This is superseded by your right to erasure (“the right to be forgotten”). Following this request all your data will be removed from all SELRAP systems and any financial agreements, such a Direct Debit, will be ended.

Cookies

Cookies are text files, used by your computer’s browser, that store visitor session data. Cookies, by themselves, do not identify the individual user. Cookies are commonly used on the Internet and do not harm your system. If you want to know more about cookies please go to www.allaboutcookies.org which explains how cookies work and how you can manage their use. Wix SELRAP website may use cookies to collate general management data to plan enhancements to our services. Some cookies are externally managed e.g. GoogleAnalytics, and are covered by their own privacy policies.

SELRAP NEVER stores any personal information in cookies (on any computer that you may use) that can be used to identify you, such as your name or account numbers.

If you want to stop cookies you may be able to configure your browser not to accept them. Please refer to your browser’s ‘help’ facility for further information. However, in a few cases some of our website features may not function as a result.

Other websites

Our website – selrap.org.uk – contains links to other websites. This privacy policy only applies to our website so when you link to other websites you should read their own privacy policies.

Transfer of your data internationally

The DPA and GDPR restrict the transfer of data outside of the EU and EEA. Our primary web server is in the UK, however some of the suppliers and systems that we use can be based in other countries which are outside of the EU and EEA. This may occur, for example, by using online services with servers based in other countries or which route data via such systems. SELRAP will ensure that information which you provide is only transferred to other countries (which do not have data protection laws equal to the DPA and GDPR) provided that the organisations involved have certified under the EU-US Privacy Shield (for organisations based in the USA) or similar stringent certification to ensure that adequate safeguards are in place to protect your rights and your data.

Changes to our privacy policy

We keep our privacy policy under regular review and will place any updates on our website This privacy policy was reviewed and updated November 2024.

How to contact us

Please contact us if you have any questions about our privacy policy or information we hold about you. By email: davidfoat1@gmail.com or write to us at SELRAP Data Controller David Foat 54 Varley Street Colne BB8 0RB. We may make a reasonable charge for this service. (e.g., for repeated requests).

GDPR

SELRAP is registered with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO). More information about the work of the ICO and GDPR can be found on the ICO website: https://ico.org.uk/