Funding for the reopening of closed railway lines, services, and stations would increase community connections and access to jobs, houses, and education.
Rail Minister, Wendy Morton, has announced an additional £15 million in funding to develop nine Restoring Your Railway schemes across England to reopen disused railway lines, services, and stations, including some that were closed in the 1950s and 1960s – with one station, Haxby Station on the York to Scarborough Line, being closed as early as 1930.
The Restoring Your Railway Fund was launched as part of the levelling up agenda in January 2020, when the government offered £500 million to fulfill its manifesto commitment and begin restoring lines and stations.
The fund is used to kickstart and accelerate project development, and it has already shown success with the reopening of the Dartmoor Line.
Communities across England are getting closer to reestablishing their links, which will improve access to jobs, houses, and education.
This cash will help to continue the development of some of the plans that were identified through the Ideas Fund, which is providing early-stage development financing to a total of 38 schemes.
This announcement comes on the heels of the Dartmoor Line’s completion and reopening, which was completed ahead of schedule and on budget. The repaired line has been extremely popular, with more than 50,000 trips taken in the first 20 weeks since it reopened, well exceeding expectations.
Wendy Morton, the Minister for Rail, said:
‘This funding will reconnect communities long cut off from the railway.
‘The last time you could catch a train from Haxby Station was 1930, George V was on the throne and The Times had just published their first-ever crossword. But now, thanks to this funding, communities across England could be reconnected to our railways once more.
‘This fund is a great example of how we are committed to helping communities across the country level up and reconnect people and businesses to new opportunities.’
The nine schemes receiving funding are:
- Aldridge station and line upgrade in Walsall
- The Barrow Hill Line between Sheffield and Chesterfield
- The Ivanhoe Line between Leicester and Burton on Trent
- Meir Station between Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire
- Haxby Station on the York to Scarborough Line
- Reinstating the Fleetwood Railway Line
- Ferryhill Station in County Durham
- The Mid Cornwall Metro, connecting Newquay, Truro and Falmouth
- Devizes Station between Pewsey and Westbury in Wiltshire
The government is leveling up local areas by funding development to reopen these lines and stations, creating revolutionary opportunities for people to go to work, school, and see family and friends.