Skipton-Colne Rail Line reopening could give tourism a boost

Craven Herald & Pioneer, 23rd March 2023

CAMPAIGNERS say the North's tourism and hospitality sector would be a major winner from reopening the Skipton-Colne Rail Line.

That was the English Tourism Week (March 13-20) message from SELRAP (Skipton East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership).

SELRAP says renewal of the 12-mile link through the Pennines, closed in 1970, would give visitors from far and wide quicker, more direct and more environmentally sustainable access to tourist attractions, from coast to coast.

They say it aligns with the Yorkshire Dales National Park Management Plan 2025-2030, aiming to improve access for visitors by public transport; currently, only two per cent arrive by train (based on the last All Park Visitor Survey).

The scheme is also one of the Campaign for Better Transport’s priority lines for re-opening.

Sebastian Fattorini, from Skipton Castle, a long-standing supporter of the project, said: "Not only would reopening the Skipton to Colne railway improve journeys for local residents, visitors and commuters, it would potentially reduce congestion on the roads, benefiting everyone."

Skipton Boat Trips and the Herriots Hotel are among the other visitor attractions in "the Gateway to the Dales" supporting the Skipton-Colne Line's revival, along with Skipton BID (Business Improvement District).

Noel Hartley, business and operations manager at Keighley & Worth Valley Light Railway, one of West Yorkshire’s key tourist attractions, said: “Since the Keighley & Worth Valley Light Railway re-opened in 1968 it has benefitted from good public transport links from Leeds, Bradford and the Dales, however not so much from Pendle and further into the North West.

“A reopened Skipton to Colne link would give more options for travel, increase visitor numbers to North and West Yorkshire and improve the accessibility of our heritage attraction to all.”

Nick Tennant, SELRAP’s vice chair, said: "Ever since I was a child, my hometown of Earby has suffered from lack of access to fast, frequent and affordable rail transport.

“Reconnecting economically isolated communities in East Lancashire with our neighbours in North and West Yorkshire for the first time in 50 years, the renewal of the ‘Missing Link’ can't come soon enough.

“The boost it would bring to tourism in the region is only part of the story.

“East to West and West to East, it would give local people, particularly the young and those without access to a car, much-needed access to educational, work and leisure opportunities that their counterparts in the cities take for granted.”

Just over the border in Lancashire, the Colne BID is also convinced of the benefits the project would bring.

Manager Scott Smith said: "We want to share our brilliant independent shops, bars, restaurants and our unique culture with as many people as possible, from Yorkshire and beyond.

“One of the key constraints on our local economy, however, is a lack of East-West connectivity and the consequent chronic congestion on our roads - which is bad for residents and bad for business."