UK: The Department for Transport has announced the successful bidders for the third ’and for the foreseeable future final’ round of funding from the Restoring Your Railway programme’s Ideas Fund.
This fund was launched to provide support for the development of proposals to reinstate local rail services. The proposals have to be sponsored by MPs, working with local authorities and community groups.
DfT received 89 applications for the third round of funding. The 13 successful bidders announced on October 27 are:
- reopening the Darlington – Weardale line to passenger services;
- reopening the Ashton – Stockport line to passenger services;
- reopening the Middlewich line to passenger services;
- introducing regular passenger services on the heritage East Lancashire Railway between Rawtenstall and Buckley Wells near Bury;
- reopening Corsham station;
- reopening Stonehouse Bristol Road station;
- reinstating the line between Tavistock and Bere Alston and providing new services to and from Plymouth;
- reopening the Gaerwen – Amlwch line on Anglesey;
- reopening the Oswestry – Gobowen line;
- reopening the Stoke – Leek line;
- reopening the Askern branch;
- reopening the Don Valley section of the former Woodhead line between Stocksbridge and Sheffield Victoria to passenger services;
- reinstating the Beverley – Market Weighton – York line.
DfT will provide up to £50 000 to cover 75% of the cost of developing early-stage proposals and business cases for each scheme. However, the current funding does not cover the physical reopening works, which would require significantly more money than is being made available under the £500m Restoring Your Railway programme and would take many years to progress.
