Settle to Carlisle line: Yorkshire quarry rail link to reopen for the first time in 60 years marking 150 years of freight through Yorkshire Dales
The Horton quarry in the Yorkshire Dales National Park will be celebrating the reopening of the site’s rail line for the first time in 60 years and the 150th anniversary of rail freight on the Settle to Carlisle line.
Horton quarry, owned by Heidelberg Materials UK, has been producing limestone and gritstone since 1889.
Its original rail siding was removed in 1965 but the newly-constructed rail terminal is, again, allowing aggregate to be delivered to construction projects across the north west by rail.
The event was organised alongside GB Railfreight (GBRf), which runs the freight services, and the Settle and Carlisle Railway Trust.
Becky Murphy, aggregates regional director at Heidelberg Materials UK, said: “The first freight train ran on the Settle-Carlisle line in August 1875, and the reopening of our rail link at Horton quarry is a perfect way to mark this anniversary.
“The investment is part of our strategy to improve our network of rail connected quarries and depots and to help deliver our sustainability commitments.
“Each rail movement allows us to supply around 1,650 tonnes of high-quality aggregate across the north west of England, reducing vehicle journeys on the wider road network and cutting associated CO₂ emissions.”
John Smith OBE, chief executive officer of GBRf and trustee of the Settle and Carlisle Railway Trust, said: “In a year of milestones, we are proud to name our locomotive after this special railway line. Like rail freight, the Settle and Carlisle line has played a key role in driving the economy.
“Since 2019, we’ve had a fantastic partnership with Heidelberg Materials UK, moving six million tonnes of aggregates and cement nationally. Now with this new rail link, we can continue to move more aggregates via rail out of Horton quarry to projects across the North West, reducing emissions in the local area.”
The Settle-Carlisle line includes 20 viaducts and 14 tunnels along its 72-mile length and connects communities between Leeds and Carlisle. It provides access to the Yorkshire Dales National Park.