Beeching-axed lines in Sheffield and Craven could re-open after new funding pledge

Bids to re-open the Barrow Hill line between Sheffield and Chesterfield, and the Clitheroe to Hellifield, which links the Lancashire town with Craven are two of ten proposals to build or reopen railway lines and stations that will receive £500,000 as part of the Restoring Your Railways ‘Ideas Fund’ announced by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps on Saturday.

Re-opening the links, the Department for Transport said, would “help reconnect towns, ease congestion, regenerate economies and improve accessibility to jobs, homes and education”.

Swathes of the rail network were closed during the notorious 'Beeching axe' period, with small branch lines and rural stations particularly badly hit as their routes were thought to be better served by buses.

In Yorkshire, sizeable towns such as Ripon and Wetherby were left without a rail link.

Several lines and stations closed under Beeching have already been successfully re-opened, including the Todmorden Curve in West Yorkshire, which re-opened in 2015, enabling direct services from Burnley and Accrington to Manchester for the first time in forty years.

Sheffield City Region mayor Dan Jarvis said he was “pleased” funding had been committed for reopening the Barrow Hill line.

He said: “This important route was included in our Integrated Rail Plan and is part of our wider vision for making our local rail network fit for the 21st century. We will continue to explore options for funding the reopening of other rail routes, such as the Stocksbridge and Askern lines and the North Midland line between Barnsley and Wakefield via Royston, which were also included in our Restoring Your Railways bid to Government.

“We now look forward to receiving further details of this funding, and working with the Department for Transport to progress these crucial works as quickly as we can, for the benefit of our businesses and communities.”