Study into main line link for railway

The work will be done by transport planner JMP and has been commissioned by the Yorkshire Dales Railway Museum Trust (YDRMT).

The railway currently operates a heritage service to Bolton Abbey for more than 100,000 visitors a year from Embsay.

Supported by stakeholders – Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA), North Yorkshire County Council, Craven District Council and Yorkshire Forward – the railway wants JMP to identify and quantify the benefits of reconnection.

Embsay Station is next to the existing Swinden Quarry to Skipton freight line and a Network Rail study in 2008 confirmed the feasibility of reconnecting the two lines, which would enable a direct service from Skipton Station to Bolton Abbey to operate.

Linking Bolton Abbey and the Yorkshire Dales directly into the national rail network at Skipton would potentially offer opportunities for more sustainable access to the area. Skipton lies on the Leeds-Settle-Carlisle route and could attract visitors from further afield.

Railway business manager Stephen Walker said the Network Rail study had indicated that the cost of reconnection would be in the region of 1.1m to 2.6m.

The YDNPA believes there is a real potential that in the longer term the scheme could open up the opportunity to provide a new station at Swinden Quarry.

Social inclusion benefits from opening up the National Park to people without a car, the economic benefits of additional visitor spending in the area and other economic, environmental and social impacts will be considered as part of the study.