Making the case for reinstating the Peaks and Dales Railway

The reshaping of Britain’s railways in the 1960s was, at best, most unfortunate - a period in which short-term concerns were allowed to predominate, and during which, as a nation we squandered some of the visionary achievements of the great railway pioneers of the 19th Century.

It is arguable that the politicians of the 1960s could not have foreseen the huge resurgence of demand for rail travel – for both passengers and goods – particularly as the decline in usage continued into the 1980s. However, the number of passenger journeys by rail today is more than double the equivalent figure from 1968 – the year in which the Peaks and Dales line was closed.

The Government’s Beeching Reversal Fund is a very welcome move, that will hopefully see communities which have been isolated for over 50 years reconnected across the nation, helping to “level up” the whole country.

The Peaks and Dales Railway reinstatement is potentially a great example of this levelling up, bringing inward investment to Derbyshire, and supporting the tourism industry on which so many local people rely. We have an opportunity to push regeneration - not only in my constituency, but across Derbyshire, the wider region and the whole country. This proposal could act as a catalyst to enable #ModalShiftToRail in Derbyshire and to support local government, organisations such as the Peak District National Park Authority, businesses and individuals to achieve their #NetZero targets.

The reinstatement and full upgrade of the Peaks and Dales Railway is exactly the kind of project that the Government should be looking at closely.

But this is not just my view. It is a view supported by my parliamentary colleagues, Nigel Mills and Lilian Greenwood. It is the vision shared by over 13,800 people who have signed a petition calling for the reinstatement of the Peaks and Dales Railway. And it is the vision of Manchester and East Midlands Rail Action Partnership (MEMRAP) and RailFuture East Midlands – local organisations in the East Midlands who have volunteered their time to campaign for the reinstatement of the Peaks and Dales Railway.

I am delighted to sponsor this application to the Department for Transport Ideas Fund. I am most grateful to Peaks and Dales Railway Limited for its hard work in preparing such a stand-out Business Case, particularly within the constraints of the suitably ambitious timeframe set by the DfT, and for the work MEMRAP has done for over a year in developing the local foundations for these proposals. Crucially, the proposals include:

• the re-provisioning and improvement of the Monsal Trail;

• an efficient freight service, with sufficient capacity to relieve the pressure on the Hope Valley line;

• a long-term, sustainable future for Heritage services on the Peaks and Dales Railway, recognising the dedication of Peak Rail to preserve the line.

I am excited by the prospect of reinstating the Peaks and Dales Railway and I am very much looking forward to working alongside the scheme’s Promoter and the Department for Transport to take these proposals to the next stage.

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