Bid to reopen old rail link is put on the line
PASSENGERS HAVE NOT USED THE ROUTE SINCE 1964
AN historic town-to-city rail link could reopen to passengers for the first time since its closure in 1964 if a new campaign wins support.
Calls are being made to restart the Ivanhoe Line and an action group could spearhead the initiative.
An informal meeting was held at the Railway Inn, in Midway, on Thursday to discuss pushing for the reopening of the line with a station at Ashby.
The Ivanhoe Line, closed as part of the Beeching cuts in the 1960s, serves freight trains but has not carried passengers since 1964.
Passenger trains could link Burton and South Derbyshire with Ashby, Desford, Bagworth, Coalville and Leicester.
The meeting, organised through social media, was attended by about 20 residents interested in pushing for the move. Those present said no proposals or objectives were established and they wanted to see if there was any interest in forming an action group. Another meeting is expected to be held in the New Year.
Local resident Geoff Bushell, who spoke at the meeting, said: “The line has been closed to passengers since 1964, and a lot has happened in between. There’s lots of new housing, a lot of people are coming in from outside. It needs a railway.”
It has been suggested that the move could be helped by the HS2 project, a £56 billion high speed line linking London to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.
Phase two will cut through 33 miles of Staffordshire and also parts of north west Leicestershire. Reopening the Burton to Leicester line could help ease construction traffic when the second phase of HS2 is built. Completion is expected by 2033. When asked whether reopening the line between Burton and Leicester would be supported by HS2, a spokesman for the project said: “HS2 will deliver major benefits to the East Midlands. “We’re consulting on our Working Draft Environmental Statement which sets out our commitment to minimising the impacts of the railway during construction. We encourage communities to get involved in the consultation and have their say in shaping plans for the new railway.” In 2009, the Association of Trains Companies recommended reopening the Ivanhoe line and building stations in Castle Gresley, Ashby and Moira. But the project did not come to fruition due to the estimated cost of £50 million.
The line has been closed to passengers since 1964. A lot has happened in between. Campaigner Geoff Bushell