Funding to reopen disused railway lines, services and stations will restore community connections and improve access to jobs, homes and education.
Rail Minister Wendy Morton has announced a further £15 million in funding to develop 9 Restoring Your Railway schemes across England to reopen disused railway lines, services and stations, including some that were axed in the 1950s and 60s – with one station taken out of use as far back as 1930, Haxby Station on the York to Scarborough Line.
The Restoring Your Railway Fund was announced in January 2020 as part of the levelling up agenda when the government pledged £500 million to deliver on its manifesto commitment and start reopening lines and stations.
Funding to reopen disused railway lines, The 9 schemes receiving funding including Aldridge station and line upgrade in Walsall
The fund is kickstarting and boosting development on projects and has already seen success with the reopening of the Dartmoor Line. Communities across England are now closer to having their connections restored, improving access to jobs, homes and education.
This funding will continue the development of some schemes identified through the Ideas Fund, which is providing early-stage development funding to 38 schemes in total.
This announcement comes after the completion and reopening of the Dartmoor Line, which was delivered ahead of time and under budget. The restored line has been hugely popular, with more than 50,000 journeys undertaken in the first 20 weeks since the line reopened – more than double the number predicted.
The 9 schemes receiving funding are:
- Aldridge station and line upgrade in Walsall
- The Barrow Hill Line between Sheffield and Chesterfield
- The Ivanhoe Line between Leicester and Burton on Trent
- Meir Station between Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire
- Haxby Station on the York to Scarborough Line
- Reinstating the Fleetwood Railway Line
- Ferryhill Station in County Durham
- The Mid Cornwall Metro, connecting Newquay, Truro and Falmouth
- Devizes Station between Pewsey and Westbury in Wiltshire