Petition to reinstate Skipton to Colne rail line to be launched

Craven Herald and Pioneer, 5th September

Part of old Skipton to Colne Railway Track (Image: Lesley Tate)

A PETITION calling for the reinstatement of the Skipton to Colne railway line is to be launched in October, heard a meeting of Gargrave Parish Council.

Nick Tennant, vice chair of the Skipton East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership (SELRAP), told councillors that support for the reopening of the 12 mile stretch of railway was growing all the time.

Mr Tennant said he had spoken to various groups of people about the benefits of linking Skipton with East Lancashire and offered to come to a future meeting of the parish council to talk further about the benefits the reopening of the railway could bring to the area.

The old track bed at Thornton-in-Craven (Image: Lesley Tate)

Pensioners, he said, would use the train to get to Boundary Mill at Colne and 25 per cent of students who attended Craven College in Skipton lived in East Lancashire and would welcome a rail link to Skipton.

He told Wednesday evening's meeting that the decision by the Lancashire Combined Authority to make the reopening of the line a core priority in its first long-term transport plan meant that it was a 'real possibility' that it could happen.

He added that Skipton MP Sir Julian Smith, a supporter of the project, had advised if people wanted the railway they would have to 'make a noise about it'.

"I've met pensioners and they tell me they want to get to Colne for Boundary Mill," he said, stressing that reopening the line would have great benefits for the Skipton area.

He said a petition was due to be launched on October 10.

Mr Tennant, in a statement on the SELRAP website, says: "The decision by the LCCA to put the Skipton-Colne line at the heart of its transport strategy is great news for people living on both sides of the Pennines, especially students and school leavers without a car.

"Reconnecting Pendle with Leeds, the reopening could quickly and effectively provide a much-needed shot in the arm for isolated and increasingly isolated communities whose needs have been ignored by decision makers based far away for decades."

Discarded railway sleepers alongside the track bed (Image: Lesley Tate)

George Boulter, 24, of Malham, a graduate of Nottingham University, said: "Studying at Ermysted's Grammar School gave me friends across West Yorkshire and Lancashire; Skipton was the central hub for us. Having the option to travel to Colne and beyond would be a huge benefit for future generations.

"Growing up, I also saw first-hand the multitude of tourists who travel to Malham and other Yorkshire Dales beauty spots. Locally, traffic is at near breaking point for much of the summer. We desperately need to provide visitors with greener, integrated public transport options."