Ivanhoe Line among 10 that could serve passengers again
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THE Government has included the planned Leicester to Burton railway among ten that could eventually get the go-ahead.
The campaign to Reopen the Ivanhoe Line (CRIL) said the latest stage in the case to reopen the line to paying passengers had been approved by Government.
It means funding will be provided to Network Rail to work with the campaign group to build a business case. If that is approved the line – currently used for freight – could reopen to passengers with stations at Coalville, Ashby, Sinope, the Stephenson Industrial Estate and Moira, as well as neighbouring stops in Derbyshire.
It would be the first passenger travel in the area since 1964 as part of the Beeching cuts.
Announcing that she will support ten proposals to reopen closed passenger lines in England, Rail Minister Wendy Morton MP said: “The department’s assessment considered the strategic and economic case presented, deliverability of the scheme and infrastructure requirements, with a focus on the transport issue and strength of case for intervention. This scheme presents significant potential to improve connectivity for communities along the route of the Ivanhoe Line and I look forward to seeing it progress.”
CRIL Spokesman Douglas McLay said: “We are delighted with this announcement which brings the reopening of the Ivanhoe Line much closer.
“Passenger services on the Line would provide real value for the relatively modest government investment needed. www.derbyshirelive.co.uk/ summergiveaway
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“The reopening of this railway would give a real boost to the often forgotten populations of south Derbyshire and north west Leicestershire.
“We look forward to working closely with the Department for Transport and Network Rail to deliver a railway service which meets the needs of local people.”
There have been increasingly strong calls to get passenger trains running along the Ivanhoe line in recent years to offer an alternative to travellers using increasingly congested roads.
The movement has been supported by authorities including North West Leicestershire District Council, with arguments that it would help cut the number of people having to drive miles to their nearest stations, cutting down on road use in general.
Campaigners say it also promotes the environmental benefits of rail, and the line benefits from one of the stops being at one of Leicester’s three park and ride sites.