Local MP Robbie Moore is to meet the Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander, to push for the reopening of the Skipton to Colne railway line.
The 12-mile stretch of track closed in 1970, meaning rail users wanting to get from Skipton to Lancashire or Manchester have to go via Leeds.
Following an in depth update on the project from the Skipton East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership (SELRAP) late last year, Mr Moore - MP for Keighley and Ilkley - asked the Secretary of State: “The Skipton East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership campaign group has long been advocating, as have I, for a new rail link between Skipton and Colne, because it will bring huge benefits to the likes of Keighley, for both freight and passengers. Will the Secretary of State meet me to discuss this long ongoing campaign that I have been advocating for?”
The Secretary of State has now agreed to the meeting.
In a presentation to a cross-party group of MPs last year, SELRAP argue that the construction of an “effective, fast and modern transport link” between East Lancashire and Leeds would generate 270,000 to 330,000 passengers per year, providing key transport links between Yorkshire and Lancashire and providing the “missing link” between the counties.
Mr Moore says the reopened railway would create new commuting options for people to work in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, open-up speedier access to Manchester Airport and the University of Central Lancashire, and boost connectivity for Keighley's engineering sector with businesses in Lancashire and beyond.
Robbie Moore MP said:
“The reinstatement of a railway line between Skipton and Colne has my full support and would provide a much-needed boost to transport connectivity right across our area. With the start of a new Parliament, now is the perfect time to promote SELRAP’s proposals and I look forward to my meeting with the Secretary of State to bang the drum for this project.
"I will be playing my part to help SELRAP get the attention from Government that it needs."
You can find out more about SELRAP and the plans at https://www.selrap.org.uk/
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