Grants for studies into restoring network services over heritage pair
THE Isle of Wight Steam Railway (IOWSR) and the East Lancashire Railway's ( ELR) Heywood branch are on a Department for Transport shortlist of 10 projects for feasibility studies into restoring regular community services.
The pair are among bidders for the first round of the Restoring Your Railway Ideas Fund who were told by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on May 23 that they have been successful in their application for 75% of the costs of up to £ 50,000 funding to develop a business case for restoring public ( as opposed to heritage services) services that were lost in the 1960s.
The Wight scheme involves two potential reopenings - Shanklin to Ventnor, and Small brook Junction to Newport via the heritage line.
Challenges
Wight MP Bob Seely welcomed the possibility of restoring the routes but warned it would not be easy:" We must be realistic about the logistical challenges we face in seeing these routes restored. Understandably, the steam railway's first priority is to ensure the continued operation of their awardwinning and popular heritage railway'.'
Meaningful main line services would need to operate a half- hourly service from early morning to midnight, which would involve the provision of other passenger signalled passing loops on the IOWSR.
Signalling would need to be brought up to main line passenger standards such as TPWS, which means fitting to IOWSR locomotives, plus bringing track alterations and upgraded modern standards at all crossings. Track would require a more onerous inspection and maintenance regime given the annual tonnage and speeds would significantly increase.
While two out of the three miles trackbed from the IOSWR terminus at Wootton to Newport could potentially be reinstated, the last mile into the town now houses a solar panel farm, or has been otherwise used.
An extension of the electrified Island Line into Ventnor appears particular problematic, not least of all as last year Southern Water built a new water treatment plant outside the 1300- yard tunnel mouth leading to the resort, where the original station was 300ft above sea level but not close to the town or its beach.
The grant towards a study into the use of part of ELR was welcomed by Bury North MP James Daly, who said:" I am delighted that we will now receive Government funding to develop proposals such as this one in more detail, which will bring huge benefits to people living and working here.
"Good transport links are essential, and I hope this funding marks the first step in getting this project off the ground as quickly as possible. I will work with all stakeholders, including the ELR to deliver this exciting project'.'
As we closed for press, a joint official statement from the ELR and Transport for Greater Manchester into their reaction to the announcement was awaited. Keith Whitmore, chairman of Greater Manchester Transport Heritage, said the scheme would involve only the ELR's Castleton East Junction to Heywood section, and not Bury Bolton Street, with a new tram line being built alongside the existing track, with an enhanced main line junction for the ELR.
The tram line would continue to Rochdale and Oldham.
Other schemes
Another shortlisted scheme involves the reinstatement of the Penrith to Keswick branch which closed in 1972, and which local campaigner Cedric Martindale has championed through his company, CKP Railways pie, for the past two decades. Four local MPs assisted by Allerdale Borough Council submitted a study bid based on his work.
Meanwhile, Torbay MP Kevin Foster and Totnes MP Anthony Mangnall have asked the Government to also fund a study into extending network services over the Dartmouth Steam Railway from Paignton to Churston, to serve Brixham, which lost its branch in May, 1961.
They submitted their expression of interest after Torbay Council decided not to pursue the idea.