Realistic line reopenings

[rillington]

Always a hot topic among rail enthusiasts to i thought I'd start the discussion about line realistic reopenigns here.

In West Yorkshire, Metro, the public transport authority, has reopened many many stations which had been Beeching'd and they plan at least five new additional stations. They've also reopened two stretches of line bringing Brighouse back onto the rail network and also a line in the eastern part of the county around Featherstone. However, these used lines already being used for freight and alas realistically it would be difficult to reopen and relay new lines in that county as housing has been built on old routes excluding, for example, Otley and Leeds/Bradford Airport from returning to the rail network.

However, not all doom and gloom in the neighbouring county of North Yorkshire as one possibility might see Ripon get the railways back as reopening Harrogate to Thirsk has been talked about. Also, the Wensleydale link from Northallerton to Garsdale is possible as half of the route is already back in service beinging Leyburn and Bedale back to the rail network. Also, reopening the York to Beverley line is often talked about.

Elsewhere, I recall the BBC4 series about old lines talking about a west Norfolk link being rebuilt. Part of it is open as a preserved line.

So these are a few possible reopenings. Are there any realistic other possibilities for reopenings?

[rillington]

An even more likely reopening is Skipton to Colne. No actual definates to reopen it but this reinstatement is definately one of the more likely reopenings, and appears much more likely than the north Yorkshire reopenings I mentioned in my other posting.

[Flash Bristow]

Lots of talk about Lea Bridge station and the Hall Farm Curve at my council's transport liaison group.

[rillington]

The reinstatement of the Todmorden Curve is being looked at right now. If it was rebuilt it would give a direct link to Manchester for the towns of East Lancashire.

[rillington]

The latest re the Tod Curve is that some progress is being made and if funding can be secured then it is likely that this will go ahead as the latest surveys have suggested that it is do-able, albeit on a slightly realigned route due to the original curve being too tight for modern regulations.

Trouble is is that the price tag is predicted to be a staggering £8million to restore the Curve but if the money can be found by early next year then the Curve could be operational from the Dec 2013 timetable. The good news is that the Curve reinstatement is Lancashire County Council's top priority. Whilst the Curve is in West Yorkshire, it is Lancashire which would benefit from the Curve's reinstatement.

[etherow]

If you include reinstatement of passenger traffic to lines which still exist for freight, then Northwich - Middlewich - Sandbach and on to Crewe is a very good contender.

[rillington]

and I'm sure that there are other examples of this across the UK where freight-only lines could be used to reinstate passenger services.

In fact, now I think about it, one example is the currently mothballed line across Anglesey to Amlwch via Llangefni and reopening the line at least to Llangefni is actively being looked into with feasibility studies being carried out by the Welsh Assembly Government in partnership with Network Rail. The line still has the track in place, albeit in a deteriorating state, but it hasn't been out of use that long because many years after the line stopped being used for passenger services, freight traffic used the line.

A report on this study can be found here: www.railnews.co.uk/news/general/2011/01/24-study-begins-on-reopening-welsh.html