| Formation | 2001 |
|---|---|
| Type | Voluntary organisation |
| Membership | 519 members and 51 affiliated groups (as of August 2018) |
Chairman | Peter Bryson |
TheSkipton East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership (SELRAP) is a campaign that is looking to reopen the Skipton to Colne railway line, as part of connecting theLancashire town ofColne to theNorth Yorkshire town ofSkipton. The line between them had been closed in 1970.
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The line between Skipton and Colne was opened in October 1848, as part of theLeeds and Bradford Railway's Shipley to Colne extension and at a cost of £67,000 (equivalent to £8,500,000 in 2023).[1] With the East Lancashire Railway reaching Colne from Burnley in February 1849, and the completion of theLiverpool, Ormskirk and Preston Railway in April 1849, a through route from Leeds to Liverpool was then established. Stations between Skipton and Colne were built atElslack,Thornton-in-Craven,Earby andFoulridge. A branch from Earby toBarnoldswick was opened in 1871.
The Skipton–Colne line was not recommended for closure inDr Beeching's 1963The Reshaping of British Railways report; however the line closed in February 1970, with the Barnoldswick branch having earlier closed in September 1965.
The missing section of railway between Skipton and Colne is 11.5 miles (18.5 km) in length.[2]
The remainingEast Lancashire line serves a conurbation of some half a million people. It is relatively under-utilised and it is under-developed from an engineering perspective.[3] Colne is currently served by one train per hour, which traverses the 50-mile (80 km) East Lancashire Line fromBlackpool South viaPreston,Blackburn andBurnley Central; there are many station stops at intermediate towns, with a total journey time in excess of 100 minutes. The route is affected by numerous permanent speed restrictions, particularly at junctions.Northern Trains operates services byClass 156Class 150/1diesel multiple units.[4][5]
Skipton is a stop on theAiredale line and is served by frequent electric trains which serveLeeds every 30 minutes, with a journey time of around 40 minutes, andBradford Forster Square every 30 minutes, with a journey time of around 35 minutes. These services are operated by Northern, using a mixture ofClasses 331 and333electric multiple units. Northern also operates services through the town from Leeds toLancaster,Morecambe andHeysham Port on theBentham line; trains toCarlisle run on theSettle–Carlisle line.[4] Skipton also has a daily direct return service toLondon Kings Cross operated byLondon North Eastern Railway (06.55 from Skipton, 18.03 from London).[6]
Reinstatement of Colne–Skipton would provide scope for both local and regional rail services. SELRAP say the line will deliver a number of benefits to local communities, the Northwest and the UK as a whole. SELRAP's proposals include opening at least one station between Skipton and Colne. The number and precise location(s) will depend on the viability study required. Whilst SELRAP are in favour of only one intermediate station (West Craven Parkway) in the interim, theCampaign for Better Transport are also wanting to seeEarby railway station re-opened too.[7][8][9]
A 2003 study commissioned by Lancashire and North Yorkshire County Councils from consultants Steer Davies Gleave found that the formation was largely intact and there were no insurmountable obstacles to reinstatement of the line.[10] In 2007 SELRAP commissioned a study by JMP Consultants to further assess the business case. This appraisal showed that a positive benefit cost ratio would be achieved for a single track option under most growth and cost scenarios. A double track railway achieves a positive benefit cost ratio if recent trends of accelerating demand growth are assumed to continue.[11]
Craven District Council and Pendle Borough Council are the two planning authorities within which the track-bed lies. Craven District Council protects the track-bed for transport use under planning policy SP2.[12] Pendle Local Plan also protects the track-bed under policy ENV4.[13]
At the county level, the Lancashire LEP board "Noted the robust and compelling case that the independent study byCushman & Wakefield makes for enhanced East-West connectivity to realise the full economic potential of the Central Trans-Pennine Corridor and its role in delivering the long-term growth ambitions of the wider Northern Powerhouse".[14] Though not affected to the same degree, re-instatement is supported in North Yorkshire Local Transport Plan (LTP4) 2016 to 2045,[15] and by West Yorkshire Combined Authority.
TheRoute Utilisation Strategy (RUS) fromNetwork Rail gave way to the Long Term Planning Process (LTPP) which in turn is being replaced in the north of England by the Strategic Transport Plan (STP) fromTransport for the North. The section of the STP[16] that applies is the Central Pennine Corridor.
On 3 February 2018, the Transport Secretary announced a feasibility study into reopening the route to passengers once again as part of the Government's plan to invite proposals to reopen many lines closed under British Rail. The study will be commissioned by Transport for the North and Network Rail[17] and conclude later in 2018. The announcement was made at Colne station and covered in the press.[18][19]
Chris Grayling announced in January 2019 that the initial study declared the project "technically feasible". The next step was to prove the worthiness of the re-opening by the commissioning of a business case which would look at the prospect of freight services on the line making the project "commercially feasible".[20]
This line has been identified by Campaign for a Better Transport as a priority 1 candidate for reopening,[21] with support also being voiced by local and regional businesses. David Cutter, the chief executive ofSkipton Building Society, said that reopening of the line would improve connectivity between East Lancashire and North and West Yorkshire. It is estimated that over 1,600 personnel who work at Skipton Building Society's headquarters inSkipton have a Lancashire postcode.[22]
