DfT announces first winners of £50million development funding

THE winners of the first phase of a competition which will share a £50million pot of development funding towards reopening disused lines or reopening stations has been announced by the Department for Transport.

The 1Oselected from the 60 bids submitted in round one of the Ideas Fund, will be able to use the money towards developing a business case.

The DfT will fund 75% of costs up to £50,000 of each proposal to fund transport and economic studies and create a business case. Subject to agreement of the business case, there may be further funding.

The bids successful in round one are:

■ reopening of Meir station

■ reinstatement of services between Sheffield and Chesterfield via Barrow Hill

(for a potential new service serving Beighton, Killamarsh, Woodhouse and Darnall)

■ (between Leicester and Burton-on-Trent)

■ reinstatement of branch lines on the Isle of Wight to Ventnor and Newport

■ introduction of a passing loop on the line between St Albans Abbey and Watford Junction

■ reopening of new stations at Wellington and Cullompton stations

■ reinstatement of services between Bury-HeywoodRochdale

■ reinstatement of services between Clitheroe to Hellifield

■ construction of a new station at Lydeway to serve Devizes

■ reintroduction of passenger rail services on the Waterside line between Southampton, Hythe and Fawley

At least two projects could impact on heritage railway operations, and a study would need to look how both a heritage service and a public service could co-exist.

For the second round of funding - and it is unclear whether the SO schemes which missed out in round one are eligible for round two - the deadline is June 19, with a third round offunding in November.

Network Rail has been running a new stations fund competition with up to £20m available to improve rail access in England and Wales. This competition closed on June 5. ■ See Editor's Comment (p3).