10-year fight to restore rail link sets up fund

The line was a victim to Richard Beeching’s cutbacks, but supporters have maintained that the ambitious scheme to reinstate the service would bring a host of economic, social and environmental benefits to vast swathes of Yorkshire.

Some have raised concerns about the likelihood of such a scheme getting off the ground during a time of austerity, but the chairman of the Minsters Rail Campaign, George McManus, said: “Fifty years on from Beeching, we have been re-assessing our strategy and at our recent meeting set up a ring-fenced fighting fund to finance an upgraded feasibility study.”

He added: “There are really positive signs in other parts of the country that people are starting to realise the potential for re-opening lines closed by Beeching.

“Train travel is good for the economy, the environment and for bringing people together.

“More people than ever are travelling by train. Beeching made a mistake when he closed our line. It should never have closed and we’re determined to bring it back.”

The proposals would mean a direct route would be created to connect Hull and the East Riding to the East Coast Main Line, with fast connections to Driffield and Bridlington.

Campaigners estimate the line would carry up to two million passengers a year. The main road link between Hull and York, the A1079, has a section between Market Weighton and Hull rated as the most dangerous in the country.

However, much of the former track is under crops or open countryside.