Promoting the reinstatement of the Peaks and Dales Railway

A 9F hauls a freight train across the Headstone Viaduct towards Millers Dale on the Peaks and Dales line in October 1963.Image courtesy of Colin Boocock, C.Eng., F.I.Mech.E.

A 9F hauls a freight train across the Headstone Viaduct towards Millers Dale on the Peaks and Dales line in October 1963.

Image courtesy of Colin Boocock, C.Eng., F.I.Mech.E.

As part of the £500m government programme to bring forward proposals to reverse the worst of the disastrous Beeching-era railway cuts, Peaks and Dales Railway, supported by MEMRAP, the Manchester and East Midlands Rail Action Partnership, proposes to reinstate the Peaks and Dales line.

This important railway, which saw its last local passenger train in March 1967, would once again link the Peak District National Park - which receives c.10m visitors each year – directly with both Manchester and the East Midlands, and their combined populations of c.7m people.

A joint submission outlining the case has been made to the National Infrastructure Commission ‘Rail Needs Assessment for the Midlands and the North’. The Commission published its interim report in mid-July, confirming that “improvements in rail infrastructure are necessary, but not sufficient, to transform economic outcomes in the Midlands and the North” and that “there remains a need for long-term funding for transformative public transport projects that reduce journey times and improve reliability between and within key economic centres while meeting changing commuting patterns.”

Rail Minister, Chris Heaton-Harris MP, confirmed recently that officials at the Department for Transport ‘Restoring Your Railway’ team will meet the sponsoring MPs and project team with a view to agreeing the best way of taking the project to the next stage. This follows formal consideration by a Panel of ministerial, local authority and rail industry representatives of the proposal put forward by the team.

The proposal would see Buxton and Matlock once again connected directly with a double-track mainline railway, re-connecting isolated and left-behind communities across Derbyshire. Stations along the route would include Rowsley, Bakewell, Millers Dale and Chapel-en-le-Frith, all served by regular local train services running to/from Derby/Nottingham and Manchester. The re-opening of this section of the former Midland Mainline would take thousands of cars and HGVs off the roads, particularly the heavily-used but narrow and winding roads of the Peak District.      

Promoted by Peaks and Dales Railway Limited, a new company set up specifically for this purpose, and developed with and supported by MEMRAP, this project also enjoys the fulsome support of Railfuture, who have already said that reinstatement of this line, which was closed at the tail-end of the 1960s Beeching-era by Barbara Castle MP, when she was Minister for Transport is:

““the most nationally important railway project (excluding HS2) for a generation””
— Dr Ariadne Tampion CEng MIET, Chair, East Midlands Branch, Railfuture

Railfuture has written to the Rail Minister in support and to this effect.

Crucially, these proposals are formally sponsored by local MPs Robert Largan and Nigel Mills, and are supported by Lilian Greenwood MP and Jane Hunt MP. Funding has been sought under the government’s ‘Restoring Your Railway’ scheme for the development of the formal Strategic Outline Business Case. This would accelerate the development and delivery of this project which would help level-up transport provision in the Manchester - East Midlands corridor to standards already enjoyed in the South East – and, as the Prime Minster has insisted, more widely, to do so as quickly as possible.

Expected to play a major role in meeting the #NetZero target set by the Peak District National Park Authority last autumn, this railway would also contribute to the #ModalShiftToRail required in support of the wider government plan to achieve the UK-wide target of #NetZero carbon emissions by 2050. The investment required for the reinstatement will be determined during the next phase but is expected to catalyse economic growth, create jobs, and enable people to travel for work, education and leisure by train, rather than by car. Reinstating the railway to modern standards, compliant with current safety, health, well-being and environmental requirements, could be completed, the Promoter believes - assuming a Transport and Works Act order is secured in 2024/25 - as early as 2029/30.

Work required will include a new bridge across the A6 at Rowsley, and reinstated and fully-accessible stations. Lessons have been taken on board from the successful re-opening of the Borders Railway too, so the Peaks and Dales line reinstatement would be ‘future-proofed’ to full mainline double-track standards from the outset.  

Train operators are already understood to be interested in the proposed new public train services, which are expected to benefit local communities left isolated by the cuts of the 1960s as well as enabling residents of Derby, Nottingham and Manchester to visit the Peak District by train.

This project is expected to be just one example of the benefits from the UK’s big railway transformation - encouraging sustainable travel for all - and, on the Peaks and Dales line, using high-quality new trains which it is hoped will be built in Britain. And walkers and cyclists should also be pleased, as they will be able, once again, to travel by train right into a key part of the Peak District, rightly one of Great Britain’s most popular National Parks. There would be plenty of room for cycles as a special vehicle is planned to be part of many passenger trains.

Peaks and Dales Railway Adelstrop Route v. 23.05.2020.png

The plan to reinstate the railway recognises the requirement to re-provision the popular Monsal Trail, which was originally approved by the Peak District National Park Authority to ensure that the route of the railway was properly safeguarded for potential future reinstatement. So local volunteers are working together to develop plans for the re-provisioned and expanded Monsal Trail.  The intention is to link up all the railway stations on the re-opened route, and to protect and enhance the trail’s “local micro-economy”, as well as create links with existing trails. Overall, the plans are set to enhance the experience for cyclists and walkers, and enable users of the trails to continue to enjoy the magnificent Peak District scenery, welcoming pubs, splendid eateries and fantastic attractions.

Shutterstock Image of Monsal Head Viaduct 2 (Compressed).jpg

MEMRAP CEO, Stephen Chaytow, commented: “We’re looking forward to passenger trains for locals and visitors alike taking cars off the roads, freight trains transporting stone from the quarries taking HGVs off the roads, and heritage trains continuing to run to a specially-enhanced timetable and to mainline standards along a key part of the route. So this re-opened railway is really set to play a full role in delivering prosperity and improving quality of life, becoming once again a vital artery across Derbyshire, as it was previously for around a century.”  

As Founding Director of Peaks and Dales Railway Limited, James Derbyshire, pointed out: “Re-opening this fantastic, scenic railway offers the government the opportunity to deliver a relatively rapid and yet major transport improvement for voters from Manchester and the East Midlands, and at the same time possibly to create a replicable model for other Beeching re-opening projects. As we say online, let’s #GetPeaksAndDalesRailwayDone…!”  

The MP sponsoring this project within government, Robert Largan, said: “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”. Please click here to read Robert’s Foreword to our Business Case.