Mayor of York & North Yorkshire meets with SELRAP Representatives

The Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, David Skaith, said: “We had a really insightful meeting with SELRAP, Drax, and Skipton Building Society, listening to the arguments for reopening the railway line between Skipton and Colne and the potential for the line to be a strategic rail corridor for the North.

“The line would close a network gap where there is currently no easy or quick way to travel by rail between East Lancashire and North and West Yorkshire. Completing this route across the Pennines would improve connectivity for both passengers and freight, and make Skipton a more accessible gateway to and from North Yorkshire.

“It’s clear this is a strategic trans-pennine corridor for the north, with significant potential benefits for Lancashire and West Yorkshire, as well as our region. In North Yorkshire it would be particularly beneficial for Drax by providing more capacity, a flatter route - good for decarbonisation - faster and more efficient supply chain. For Skipton Building Society the re-opening links areas of deprivation with access to the many job opportunities the building society provide.

“While we’re supportive of the campaign’s aspirations, this £300 million-plus scheme is beyond the resource of any one council or combined authority. We’ll work with Transport for the North and the Department for Transport on how the case for Skipton-Colne re-opening can be taken forward.”