First step in bid to reinstate railway line

EAST RIDING Council has taken the first formal step towards reopening the York to Beverley railway line.

The council has now submitted a formal expression of interest in the Department for Transport’s £500m fund for reinstating routes that fell victim to the ‘‘Beeching axe’’ closures in the 1960s.

The campaign is being led by parties based in Beverley, which lost a crucial rail link when the line shut. There were also stations at Pocklington, Market Weighton and several villages near York popular with commuters.

Coun Leo Hammond, who represents Wolds Weighton, said: ‘‘We hope that if proven viable, the restoration of the line will benefit our local economy, better connecting us to the rest of the UK, and Europe through the port of Hull; and will benefit our environment by reducing our reliance on cars and the A1079.”

The councillors also back a major tree planting programme that would be undertaken in conjunction with track laying.

If awarded, the funding would go towards a feasibility study that would assess whether a new line would be viable.

Coun Hammond added: “Though I think this is a brilliant idea, we must be realistic, and with that in mind I will only continue to support this campaign if it is funded by central government, as locally we simply do not have the funds. Hopefully, if we are successful at this stage in gaining Government funds and the line is found viable, further down the track we will be too.”

If the route were to be reinstated it would have to follow a different alignment, as many sections of the original track have been built on since. Several old station buildings have been demolished or converted for other uses, including Pocklington, which is now part of Pocklington School. Some intermediate stations were in small villages that could not support a rail service today.