16th March 2020

Peaks and Dales Railway has submitted its Business Case to apply to the Department for Transport’s Restoring Your Railway ‘Ideas Fund’.

The team at Peaks and Dales Railway is very proud of its work on the Business Case and is most grateful for the support and contributions from Manchester and East Midlands Rail Action Partnership (MEMRAP), Railfuture East Midlands and The Goodshelter Group, as well as sponsoring MPs, Robert Largan MP (High Peak) and Nigel Mills MP (Amber Valley).

Peaks and Dales Railway is also pleased to have received the support of Lilian Greenwood MP (Nottingham South), who until recently chaired the Transport Select Committee. She said, “Many people in Nottingham would love to be able to get out into the Peak National Park but without a car it can be very difficult. Reopening the Peaks and Dales rail line would bring my constituents closer to some of the UK’s most beautiful countryside and provide better public transport links to Manchester and the North West”.

Lead sponsor, Robert Largan MP, described our Business Case as ‘stand out’ and kindly contributed an excellent Foreword to the document.

Assuming we’re selected, the next stage of the process includes a presentation to a Department for Transport panel, chaired by a Minister. The presentation would be led by our sponsoring MPs.

If funding is granted, Peaks and Dales Railway would begin work on the Strategic Outline Business Case - the first stage of the lengthy and costly process to secure the necessary Transport and Works Act Order. This process, if successful, would then enable finally work to begin on the upgrade and reinstatement of the Peaks and Dales Railway, running between Ambergate and Chinley - which was a key section of the former Midland Mainline during the first half of the 20th Century.

Obviously, if we get the ‘go-ahead’, we’ll be making regular updates on our progress on this website - and you can be the first to hear by subscribing to our Newsletter.  You can also follow us on Twitter: @PeaksDalesRail and remember to include #GetPeaksAndDalesRailwayDone in your tweets!