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1 CravenRail The newsletter for supporters of SELRAP:  the Skipton-East Rail Action Partnership Issue 10 Autumn 2007 “Half of the UK’s population live within walking distance of a train station.” ..... Passengerfocus “But that’s no consolation for the other 30 million. Many of whom had their railways surgically removed years ago.” ..... Ed.

THE MISSING LINK ..... ANOTHER FIRST FOR SELRAP:

WORKING TO : END 2007

THIS TRANSPORT INJUSTICE

Skipton: 2007

Skipton-East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership RECONNECTING YOUR REGION

Patrons: Richard Bannister, Nicholas Owen, Rt Rev. Nicholas Reade, MEPs Chris Davies, Den Dover, Diana Wallis MPs David Curry, Gordon Prentice, Kitty Ussher,

Reopening a railway involves an enormous amount of effort. So what is it that drives those of us at the2 sharp end of the campaign to reopen a railway line that has been closed for almost forty years?

I am old enough to remember a time when most of the UK was accessible by rail. That this is currently so far from being the case saddens me enormously. And I have become passionate about putting back Contents just a little of what was torn up and thrown away in the dash for modernity. Andy Shackleton: Editor/Liaison Officer FRONT COVER: Having followed a convoluted fifty mile route via , I firmly believe that reopening the railway line and Hellifield, 2½ hours after between Colne and Skipton to passenger and freight leaving Colne, SELRAP’s first train ..... “The traffic would be a great boost to the regeneration of Missing Link” ..... is seen shortly after East Lancashire and provide many more arrival in Skipton on Sunday April 1st. opportunities for travel in both directions to the Packed with 300 passengers, the train general public. represented a high profile demonstration of the need to reopen the direct route. Derek Jennings: Chairman/Membership Secretary AND TO THE RIGHT: Ancient bus on rails, rope operated level crossing, bus shelter I believe that the improvement of local and national station. This is Colne in the 21st century. rail transport links through East Lancashire is a key Below, just 11½ miles away in Skipton, is to its regeneration as an area of outstanding beauty the real thing. impoverished by its loss of industry! Doesn’t seem quite fair. Does it? Peter Nowland: Vice Chairman Reopening the route is the only solution. I believe that trains are the future of public transport. Rail travel is the safest and most sustainable form of transport. If we care about the MEET THE CAST future of the planet, we have to invest more in our And find out what motivates SELRAP’s Executive rail system. The Colne to Skipton line was stolen from us in 1970. It is time to look to the future and Committee members. restore this missing link in our rail network. 3 COMMENT Andrea Staltmeier: Procurement Officer Each part of the rail network depends upon every On why we are where we are insofar as transport other part for its success. The Beeching cuts failed is concerned. to recognise that fact. Reopening short sections of line like Skipton to Colne will produce an overall benefit for the rail network going far beyond the HEADLINES value of the individual local lines themselves. 4 YOU’VE NOTICED THEN ..... David Mawdsley: Planning & Development

4 FIRST TRAIN FOR 37 YEARS Services to Manchester via the Skipton-Colne line SELRAP’s high profile “Missing Link”. and Todmorden Curve will make better use of existing under used resources. 5 NEW STUDY COMMISSIONED Chris Laycock Business case upgrade for reopening plans.

NEWS I am committed to ensuring that the “Missing Link” of the Colne-Skipton railway is once again part of 6 ROUTE UTILISATION STRATEGY Network. It will make a valuable contribution to regenerating the area, developing Submission to the next stage of RUS. sustainable and integrated transport and combating climate change. 8 SUPPORT CONTINUES David Penney: Planning & Development Yet more parliamentary support for SELRAP. And much more besides. I have been with SELRAP from the beginning of the campaign in 2001. Now, I look forward to success in the near future that will reinstate and improve a 9 RAIL UNIONS TOO vital line. RMT, ASLEF & TSSA supporting SELRAP. Edith Sheldrick: Archivist

FEATURES Success through teamwork! 9 ON THE WIDER PICTURE David Burton Skipton-Colne reopening: more than a local issue. 10 GUESS WHO’S USING RAIL NOW .....

The road to rails. I can think of no achievement more satisfying and more enduring than getting a decent railway, 10 NEED I SAY MORE together with regeneration opportunities it would On joined up thinking. bring, into a part of the country that I love. Frank Filardo: Group Secretary 11 IS A NEW DAY DAWNING An optimistic peek at the future. Putting the railway back gives people the best 11 BACK FROM THE FUTURE environmental travel choice and preserves our Are high fares suppressing demand for more rail countryside. Roy St Pierre: Treasurer/Publicity capacity ..... 12 JOIN US: MEMBERSHIP FORM

12 THE NEXT SKIPTON TRAIN LEAVES COLNE As Events Coordinator I regularly talk to people in th the community and see so much interest and On Sunday 28 October 2007 enthusiasm for the revitalisation of the Colne- Skipton railway line. 12 WHAT ELSE ..... Joy Holdsworth: Events Coordinator Want to help ..... or attend meetings? I believe that reopening the Colne to Skipton railway line will be of enormous benefit in reviving the welfare of the deprived communities of East Lancashire as well as being good for North & West Yorkshire. Peter Smith: Minutes Secretary

Comment 3

SELRAP’s campaign to reopen the Skipton- Colne line has developed a life form of its

own. It is not difficult to see why. My wife said something the other day that made me think about SELRAP’s campaign in a new light. Something of an expert on fashion, style and presentation, she commented that good ideas sell themselves. Judged on that basis, reopening the Skipton-Colne line as part of the National Network just has to be a good idea. For it is a fact that since SELRAP held its first meeting in 2001, the campaign has gone from strength to strength, and continues to make spectacular progress. My first contact with SELRAP was at a public meeting in Colne Municipal Hall back in 2002. Amongst the speakers was Pendle MP Gordon Prentice. I have clear memories of his admission that, when invited to speak, he had expected to chat round a table to half a dozen enthusiasts. In fact, over 100 attended that meeting on a wild January evening and heard his impromptu speech. And it has gone on from there. The background to SELRAP’s amazing story is rooted in the bigger picture of a transport network slashed and burnt in the dash for modernity. The panel on the left underlines the extent of consequent closures. Amazingly, bearing in mind the piecemeal way the railways had burst upon the nation, in spite of increased competition from road transport, in the early ‘sixties the vast majority of the nation’s network was still intact. And the overwhelming majority of the population still had access to rail services. No prizes for guessing what came next but, coming to terms with their lean, mean rail map, communities once connected to their national network passed judgement on replacement bus services, bought cars. And drove them past what had become their nearest operational railway station, to complete their journeys by road. Forty years on the nation is reeling in the legacy of its neutered rail network as travellers and traders take to their cars and trucks in ever- increasing numbers. To the point when our clogged motorway and road network has become an increasingly unreliable way of getting anywhere on time. Resulting in the fact that, despite demand being artificially stifled by some of the highest fares in the world, rail travel has increased by 40% in the last 10 years. And current passenger numbers [1.1billion annually] are higher than those of 1959. With all of this traffic carried on a network half the size it was then. Similar statistics follow freight traffic. And the result of all of this? Yes, you know ..... ‘cos it’s regularly blathered all over the papers. Overcrowding. On the railways too. Wholesale rebuilding of thousands of miles of railways is probably not [yet] a realistic option. But SELRAP has demonstrated beyond doubt that reinstating short strategic sections is desirable, economically justifiable, and entirely do-able. Skipton-Colne is a short missing link that blights the entire region’s rail network almost forty years after its closure. Up and down the country there are countless other examples where reopening short sections would re-define transport for entire regions. It has to be said that SELRAP’s groundbreaking campaign to reopen a short section of railway has been amazingly successful, not because of, but despite a Government apparently in denial of the facts and seemingly concerned, from where the author is sitting, only with cost of providing rail The upper map shows the rail network as it services ..... and not their value to society. was in the early 1960s. Although much reduced from its zenith of 23,000 route miles On the plus side there is talk of longer trains and platforms to in the 1920s, approximately 17,000 route miles and 5,000 stations remained, and most of the accommodate them. But they’re not going to be a scrap of good to half of nation still had ready access to rail services. the population with little or no access to a rail service of any kind. The lower map showing the current network of just 10,000 route miles [some of which has Wouldn’t it be so much more sensible if, bolted on to that recently been singled] and 2,500 stations presents a announced wish list for the railways, was a remit to work alongside groups very different picture. With entire regions and thousands of communities disconnected from like SELRAP ..... with an eye, where appropriate to economic, social and the network. NB Skipton-Colne arrowed! environmental needs, on reinstating services to just some of the 30 million Maps courtesy of Tony Gosling, freelance of us that do not currently have an easy option to travel by rail. journalist. For more from Tony go to: www.bilderberg.org/railways.htm Ah well, we can dream. And yes, the campaign goes on.

Andy Shackleton – Editor 4

YOU’VE NOTICED THEN ..... FIRST TRAIN FOR 37 YEARS Yet another first for SELRAP ..... in the form of a On Sunday April 1st a train packed with 300 full colour front page edition of CravenRail. And passengers ran from Colne to Skipton and back. that’s not all. For instead of the familiar eight Surprising, you might be forgiven for thinking ..... page format there are twelve packed pages of what with the rail line between the two towns news, features, photos, opinions ..... and more. having been closed since 1970. Behind this move are more reasons than one. For But far from April Fool, the four car class 156 train it is a fact that SELRAP’s spectacularly successful was chartered from by SELRAP campaign to reopen the Skipton-Colne line has to highlight the need to racked up the pace of progress still further. reopen the direct route. Consider the fact that ..... The first train to run between the two towns since closure of • At last year’s Autumn conference 70 delegates representing the railway industry, local and county the 11.5 mile direct line 37 councils, regional government, transport pressure years ago had to follow a groups, the media ..... and more ..... heard a team of convoluted 50 mile route via seven high profile speakers offer their support Burnley, Blackburn and for and advice on the way forward for SELRAP’s Hellifield ..... a journey that campaign to see the Skipton–Colne railway reopened also involved two reversals of as part of the National Network. direction! • Later in the year a SELRAP delegation was able to meet Richard Donaldson, a Senior Route Planner with Although reduced to an , to outline the case for reinstatement of unstaffed “bus shelter” type the Skipton-Colne railway. During the course of the station since closure of the meeting the process adopted by Network Rail in The “Missing Link” line as a through route, the preparing its Route Utilisation Strategies was headboard. carnival-like atmosphere on explained, and SELRAP was encouraged to participate Colne station was in the public consultation process. reminiscent of Wakes Week as in excess of • As a result of that meeting, SELRAP made a decision 200 passengers boarded the train ..... to re-examine the business case for that appropriately named and carrying a headboard reinstatement...... “The Missing Link”. More passengers joined • In April this year, as a clear demonstration of need the train in Nelson, Burnley, , Blackburn and demand for rail services between the two towns, and . Such was the demand for travel on SELRAP operated the first train to link Colne with Skipton for 37 years Left: Councillor • Later in the same month a SELRAP delegation George Adam, Mayor attended the Route Utilisation Strategy consultation of Pendle ..... pictured meeting for the Lancashire & Cumbria region ..... on Colne station resulting in an invitation to make a submission to the before boarding the [RUS] process. “Missing Link.” • In July SELRAP commissioned transport consultants JMP to carry out a new study focussing on the business case for reopening the Skipton-Colne railway. And that’s far from the whole story. For it has been said that SELRAP’s journey towards the provision of a new rail route linking Northern ’s premier economic centres has become unstoppable. Indeed, set to offer sustainable 21st century travel within, between and beyond the East Lancashire-North Yorkshire corridor, the Right: The four car campaign to reopen the Skipton-Colne Class 156 train packed railway has developed a life form of its with 300 passengers own. provided a powerful message of support As if to prove the point, such is the demand for for reopening the CravenRail that 3,000 copies of issue 9 were direct line. distributed. But even this has proved to be insufficient and 4,000 copies of this enhanced this service that the commemorative tickets newsletter have been printed. Which, bearing in were sold out weeks before the event, and mind that just one hundred copies of CravenRail more than 120 potential travellers were 1 were printed ..... on the editor’s home computer turned away. back in 2003, has to be a reflection of the Before boarding for a short symbolic journey to viability, desirability and do-ability of Nelson the Mayor of Pendle, Councillor George reinstating just 11.5 miles of railway line. Adam, spoke of the short sightedness of And a reflection of the notion offered by the closing the line and looked forward to it editor’s wife ..... that good ideas sell themselves. reopening for commuter, shopper and tourist When you have finished reading CravenRail10, it alike. Burnley MP [and SELRAP Patron] Kitty would be appreciated if you could to pass it on to Ussher greeted the train when it stopped to pick someone else. 5

up passengers in the town. On arrival in Passengers had nothing but praise for the trip and Skipton the train was welcomed by the the way SELRAP had organised it. And no one [town] Mayor Councillor Mike Doyle ..... who was in any doubt about the message behind received a greeting and message of support the “Grand Day Out.” for reopening the line from the Mayor of Indeed, such was the success of SELRAP’s Pendle ..... and then went on to speak of groundbreaking trip that another is planned for historic, economic and cultural links with Sunday 28th October. Yes, I know what you’re Lancashire and that were thinking. But there’s more. For this time, for that severed with closure of the line. Councillor little extra, our train will return via Leeds, Doyle also looked forward to the line reopening Bradford and Hebden Bridge. So be warned. And ..... offering journey opportunities to , book early for yet another first from SELRAP. Liverpool, Manchester, and Manchester Airport ..... together with many more destinations currently NEW STUDY COMMISSIONED denied to the population of Skipton, North Followers of SELRAP’s fortunes for some time will Yorkshire, and beyond. be aware that in 2003 a major study into the Including an hour long wait in Blackburn for a path future of the Skipton-Colne railway formation was on the line to Hellifield, the 100 mile out & back jointly commissioned by Lancashire and North journey took almost 5 hours. But no one Yorkshire County Councils. Consultants Steer appeared to mind as the day out, which gave Davies Gleave concluded that reinstating the trippers 3 hours in the historic market town of Skipton-Colne line was technically feasible Skipton, was regarded by all as a and that it had a long term future as a demonstration of the need to reopen the strategic trans-Pennine route. direct route ..... which will offer a journey But pivotal to proceeding with any new rail project time of just 15 minutes! is proof that quantifiable benefits to the Media interest in this unique journey was huge. community will exceed incurred costs. This is Travelling on the train were Alan Whitehouse: BBC known as the Cost/Benefit ratio. TV transport correspondent, David Saville: Radio That said, projections within the SDG report Lancashire, Peter Dewhurst: Leader Times were based on traffic surveys carried out in Left: Shortly after 1999 ..... when just 22 million cars were arrival in the town registered in the UK. Eight years on, the figure aboard “The nudges 30 million ..... representing a staggering Missing Link” 36% increase. BBC Transport Correspondent Insofar as the business case for reopening the line Alan Whitehouse was concerned, the [SDG] report considered chats to Councillor only local traffic and took no account of Mike Doyle, Mayor strategic inter-regional services ..... or of Skipton. freight of any kind. The report assumed a [modal] transfer to the new rail service of just 2% ..... when the accepted figure at the time was 5-6%. Interestingly, the commonly accepted figure for new Right: The impact “The projects is currently close to 8% ..... Missing Link” made on the and climbing. Mindful of all of this, it is region might best be SELRAP’s contention that the summed up by this LAUGH business case for reinstating the WITH LAWRENCE cartoon which Skipton-Colne line was out of date appeared in the local press. even when it was first published! With thanks to Doug Lawrence, and Leader Times But there is more. For, eight years on, , who published increasing road congestion is making a this cartoon soon after mockery of the notion of arriving SELRAP’s groundbreaking anywhere on time ..... and said [by “Grand Day Out.” We apologise for the 37 year delay to the Colne train. This was caused by vandals removing 11 miles of track the Institute of Civil Engineers] to be costing UK business around £20 Newspapers, Andrew Hewitt: billion a year ..... or £330 each ..... with and Paul Routledge: Daily Mirror political employees arriving late for work, freight commentator. Featuring the following day on BBC companies forced to allow for longer and TV [Yorkshire and North West] the event was unpredictable journey times. And more. highlighted by full page spreads in the Local & Including the raw fact that road accidents cost Regional press ..... and also briefly mentioned in the NHS £470million per year. And the the Daily Mirror and railway press. economy £8billion ..... another £200 each! The journey was also recorded by an 8 member Despite the denials, road charging is plainly just independent film crew. Copies of their film are around the corner. And the rolling programme of still available for sale on DVD for £5.99. physically restricting all [road] goods vehicles in Contact Derek Jennings [Chairman/Membership excess of 3.5tonnes to 56mph will add to [road] Secretary] if you wish to purchase a copy. journey times and impact on deliverability and Contact details on back page. 6 driver availability in an industry already said to be later in the year. When available, copies can be short staffed. Have you begun to notice the obtained by contacting SELRAP Membership increasing number of 38 tonners bunched up on Secretary Derek Jennings ..... Tel: 01282 690411. the inside lane of motorways? A train in all but SELRAP wishes to thank the following name. But slower ..... Ed. organisations and individuals who have [together] Updating the outdated Cost/Benefit ratio is made this possible: crucial to convincing major funders that The North West Rail Campaign reinstatement of the Skipton-Colne link is a viable proposition. Clearly, as outlined above, a Craven District Council number of new factors will need to be taken into Railfuture account, including changing demographics insofar Additionally, thanks are due to those who travelled as patterns of travel for work and leisure purposes on “The Missing Link”, together with those who are concerned. Together with an ever changing bought the DVD of that journey (profits fed into freight scene. fund). But special thanks are reserved for those Mindful of the above, and on the advice of both who made individual donations to the fund. the DfT and Network Rail, SELRAP has briefed To see the SDG report visit: independent consultants JMP ..... who provide www.lancashire2016.com/pdf/skipton_ professional consultancy services in transport colne_railway_report.pdf planning and engineering. SELRAP is cautiously For more on Railfuture visit: optimistic that the revised Cost/Benefit ratio www.railfuture.org.uk will demonstrate the viability of the line and For more on JMP visit: www.jmp.co.uk exceed the threshold required for further interest in the proposal from potential funding partners. Assuming the findings of the study demonstrate the viability of a reopened Skipton-Colne line [as Alan Beswick, Director of Transport Consultancy SELRAP is optimistic they will] Gordon Prentice - JMP Consulting said SELRAP has done a Pendle’s MP [and SELRAP patron] has agreed to: remarkable job in keeping the Colne to Skipton line firmly in the limelight during a • Table a House of Commons Motion and seek a 1½ period when rail development has been a hour adjournment debate on reopening the Skipton- Colne line. long way down the agenda and there are now a number of encouraging signs that the • Promote an Early Day Motion – as SELRAP already has a large number of supporting MPs. industry is starting to seriously consider how we build a railway that will meet the • Seek to set up a meeting with the All Party Rail Group by contacting Secretary [and SELRAP member] economic, social and environmental needs of Lord Tony Berkeley..... to discuss reopening “our” line. future generations. • Seek to arrange a meeting with the Secretary of Back in January JMP outlined how a Business Case State for Transport, the Rt. Hon. Ruth Kelly MP. for re-opening the Skipton–Colne railway could be But then, when the reader might be forgiven for developed by means of a critical review and thinking that cannot get any better, it update of the previous [SDG] feasibility study ..... does ..... which, incidentally, cost £35,000. The new study will be undertaken on a modular basis ..... under For Network Rail has agreed that the findings the headings: Engineering, Operational, Market, of SELRAP’s groundbreaking study are to be Socio Economic/Inclusion, Wider Economic Case, fed into their deliberations when formulating Environmental ..... with the potential for carrying a Route Utilisation Strategy for region. out more detailed work on any of these modules For more on this see below: if/as required at some future date. The cost of carrying out this updated study was set at a fixed ROUTE UTILISATION STRATEGY fee of £10,000 + VAT. Network Rail is required by the Department for £11,750 is a not inconsiderable sum of money for Transport (DfT) to produce a series of Route a voluntary group with 280 members. Utilisation Strategies (RUSs) for the network. Notwithstanding, I am thrilled to be able to report A RUS takes a strategic look at the rail network that, at the time of writing, funding is in place ..... and its usage and capability in relation to current and SELRAP has signed on the dotted line and and [anticipated] commissioned JMP to carry out the study. future demand. Clearly this is a pivotal moment in SELRAP’s fast Where shortfalls in moving story ..... with hard hitting potential for capacity are bringing the reopening of the Skipton-Colne line identified, the RUS closer still. And as a marketing tool for is tasked with approaching high profile backers and potential identifying options funding partners, its importance cannot be for addressing underestimated. them. These options may involve timetabling changes or investment. A RUS seeks to Thanks are largely due to SELRAP’s Procurement balance capacity, passenger and freight demand, Officer Andrea Staltmeier, who has worked operational performance, infrastructure tirelessly towards making this groundbreaking maintenance, and costs, to address the study a reality. requirements of funders and [posh for interested The results of the study are due for publication parties!] stakeholders. 7

For the purposes of developing RUSs, with the levels, both within and beyond the exception of freight services (for which there is immediate corridor of the line. just one) the network is divided into regions. That said, for the benefit of SELRAP’s more recent Interestingly, the [cross-border] Skipton-Colne recruits ..... and those who just wish to bask in route falls entirely within the remit of the the overwhelming case for reopening the Skipton- Lancashire and Cumbria RUS. But clearly Colne line ..... below is a summary of SELRAP’s reopening this short stretch of former submissions to Network Rail's deliberations railway will have implications on the wider in relation to the Route Utilisation Strategies network, thus it also relates to the Yorkshire & for Lancashire & Cumbria and for Yorkshire & Humberside and North West regions. Humberside ..... made recently by Planning and Following extensive analysis of the existing Development Officer David Mawdsey. network NR staged a series of PROLOGUE TO SELRAP’S SUBMISSION exhibitions/meetings which interested parties were invited to attend. SELRAP was invited to attend You’d expect bullet points ..... you get bullet points!..... that for the Lancs/Cumbria region ..... held at • Reference to [2003] SDG report and fact that rebuild is technically feasible ..... and also to fact that the business case within same is in need of updating. • Re above ..... results of recently commissioned [JMP] study will be fed into RUS when available. • Note need to look beyond immediate boundaries of RUS to take into account impact of rebuild [of Skipton-Colne] on wider network. • Noted that RUS aimed at making more effective use of existing network ..... but pointed out that Colne branch ..... indeed, much of East Lancs line, currently seriously under utilised ..... and only by restoration as through route to Yorkshire, and beyond, will associated unavoidable costs be justified ..... as Above: A general view of the traffic increases throughout. RUS exhibition at . • Re above ..... Skipton-Colne has to be classic case Right: A close up of just one of of need for strategic additions to network ..... one the panels ..... and clear with the potential for unlocking the key to increased recognition, within the RUS use of the wider network. procedure, of obvious and • Shortcomings of existing service on Colne branch glaring gaps in the region’s outlined ..... inc “basic” hourly trains, long journey network. And the potential times, and amazingly poor connections with the value in their reinstatement. places people wish to travel to ie Manchester ..... and Airport. [recently restored] Carnforth station. Where, unlike Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard’s “Brief CONCERNING PASSENGER TRAFFIC ..... Encounter” (filmed there in 1945) SELRAP • Acknowledgement that, despite the above, patronage delegates were able to freely engage in depth with on the Colne branch slowly increasing ..... but step senior NR personnel. And as a precursor to change to service and destination profile making a formal response SELRAP delegates required before significant change made. Though were able to discuss the group’s proposals Nelson Interchange will help here. for reopening the Skipton-Colne line. • Suggestion that Gannow Junction- Colne be re- doubled or passing loop(s) provided to improve Clearly an amazing amount of work has been frequency of service on line. carried out by NR ..... who had assembled a • Suggestion that Todmorden curve be reinstated comprehensive analysis of the current rail network ..... offering an attractive journey time for and associated services. And whilst pointing out commuters and others from Colne-Manchester the success stories, NR is under no illusion via reversal at Rosegrove and the Calder valley concerning shortcomings within the region. line. Interestingly, together with reopening the • Fact that reinstatement of Skipton-Colne line will open Todmorden curve, the Skipton-Colne line is up many new journey opportunities between the flagged up as a potential new link! And Central Lancashire and Manchester city regions further down the line, the new Nelson transport ..... for employment, business and leisure purposes alike. interchange was described as due for opening [fairly!] soon! And there is more ..... but hey, I • Noted that just a dozen miles away from Colne the have to stop somewhere ..... [electrified Skipton-Leeds] Aire valley line carries 7 million passengers annually ..... representing As a sequel to that meeting SELRAP was invited 75% of total commuter traffic within the to make a submission to the next stage of corridor. RUS ..... outlining our case for reopening the • Re above noted that when line reopened as through Skipton-Colne line. route, there is strong likelihood of similar statistics within the East Lancashire corridor ..... where there is If you have been following SELRAP’s spectacularly a strikingly similar socio economic makeup ..... yet successful story for some time you will, doubtless, with a rail service currently used by just a little be aware of the rationale behind the campaign over 800,000! Increases in patronage on the ..... together with the amazing support at all 8

scale outlined above would make a real dent on Reddish), Bill Etherington (Sunderland North), David traffic congestion within the metropolitan areas. Taylor (North West Leicestershire), John McDonnell (Hayes and Harlington), Diana Johnson (Hull North), CONCERNING FREIGHT Eric Martlew (Carlisle), Harry Cohen (Leyton & • Reopening Skipton-Colne line will create most easily Wanstead) Andy Burnham (Leigh), Robert Wareing graded and near-tunnel free trans-Pennine (Liverpool West Derby), Jeremy Corbyn (Islington route. North), Lynda Waltho (Stourbridge), Stephen O’Brien • This new route will link Mersey ports [for Ireland & (Eddisbury) and Denis MacShane (Rotherham). the Atlantic] with those of the Humber and Tees Support within the House ..... giving access to the near-Continent and of Lords has also grown. Scandinavia ..... and providing a connection that would form part of the Trans European Network. CravenRail 9 reported the fact that in February this • Increasing road congestion and the ongoing rolling programme of restricting HGVs to 56mph offers a year letters of support window of opportunity for transfer to rail freight. had been received from 6 members of the House of • Gauge enhancement for this new route could readily be incorporated with its reinstatement. Lords. This figure has since risen to 19. The CONCERNING USE AN ALTERNATIVE/DIVERSIONARY ROUTE extra Peers are: • Existing trans-Pennine routes at/near capacity. Baroness O’Cathain, Shirley Williams (Baroness Cost of reinstating Skipton-Colne route potentially Williams of Crosby), the Rt Hon Lord Clark of lower than [proposed] upgrading of Standedge route - Windermere, Lord Fearn of Southport, the Rt Rev inc re-commissioning tunnels. John Packer (the Bishop of Ripon and Leeds), Rt • Reinstating Skipton-Colne & electrifying throughout to Rev James Jones (Bishop of Liverpool), Cecil Preston/Manchester will provide a much-needed Parkinson (Lord Parkinson), Lord Woolmer of East/(s) link. Leeds, Lord Newby, Baroness Hooper, Lord Dubs, the Rt Rev John Sentamu, Archbishop of York and REFERENCES SUPPORTING REINSTATEMENT OF SKIPTON- Tom McNally (Leader of the Liberal Democrats in COLNE LINE IN DOCUMENTS PUBLISHED BY: the House of Lords) • Northern Way. We have excellent support amongst members of • North West Development Agency. Parliamentary Committees with 4 out of the 10 • North West Regional Assembly. members of the Crossrail Bill Select Committee, 4 • Local Transport Plan (LTP2) 2006/07- 2010/11 ..... out of the 11 members of the Transport Select Lancashire County Council. Committee, 11 out of the 27 members of the • Central Lancashire City Region Partnership. Parliamentary Rail Group and 6 out of the 21 • Burnley Action Partnership. members of the Parliamentary West Coast Main Line Group. • Pendle Borough Council. • Colne Connected. Also, in the same period of time the number of MEPs backing SELRAP’s campaign has increased • Local Transport Plan (LTP2) 2006/7-2010/11 ..... North Yorkshire County Council. from 15 to 20, the most recent being David Martin (), Glenys Kinnock (), John Whittaker • Bradford Metropolitan Council. (North West), Arlene McCarthy (North West) and • Craven District Council. Philip Bradbourn (West • Skipton Town Council. Midlands). For more on Network Rail’s [business] plans for Amongst the 20 are all the region go to: the Yorkshire & www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/B Humberside MEPs and 8 usinessPlan2007/PDF/Route%2023%20North%2 out of the 9 North West 0West%20Rural.pdf MEP’s. The European Parliament has a AND, SPEAKING OF SUPPORT ..... Transport and Tourism Committee. And our CravenRail 9 (Winter 2007 edition) reported an campaign has the support of 4 out of the 5 enormous increase in Parliamentary backing for UK members of that committee (together SELRAP. At the time of publication letters of with 2 of the 4 substitute members) and 2 support for the campaign to reopen the Skipton- out of 5 UK members of the Temporary Colne railway had been received from 42 Members Committee on Climate Change (and 3 out of of Parliament. The trend has continued unabated. the 7 substitute members) And in the last six months letters of support COUNTY COUNCILLOR SUPPORT have been received from a further 27 MPs ..... making a total of 69. We have letters of support from the following County Councillors: Those extra MPs backing us are: Barbara Keeley (Worsley), Alan Simpson (Nottingham South), Neil Lancashire (14): Timothy Ashton, Malcolm Barron, Turner (Wigan), James Brokenshire (Hornchurch & Mike Calvert, Susie Charles, William Cropper, Rainham), Gavin Strang (Edinburgh East), Mark Shelagh Derwent, Sarah Fishwick, Christopher Lazarowicz (Edinburgh North & Leith), Phil Willis Holtom, Doreen Pollitt (Deputy Leader), Sonia (Harrogate & Knaresborough), Jim Dobbin (Heywood & Robinson, Duncan Ruddick, Richard Shepherd, Middleton), Tony Lloyd (Manchester Central), the Rt Joyce Stuart, Jean Yates Hon Richard Caborn (Sheffield Central), Rt Hon David N Yorkshire (7): Eric Broadbent, Rob Broadley, Blunkett (Sheffield Brightside), Paul Holmes Polly English, John Fletcher, Richard Hall, J.W. (Chesterfield), Dr John Pugh (Southport), Tom Brake Marshall, Shelagh Marshal. (Carshalton & Wallington), Andrew Gwynne (Denton & 9

Action: If your County Councillor is not on the economies and tackling social exclusion. above list, please ask them to write a letter or With the growing and rapid threat of the consequences email supporting our Campaign. of climate change an expanded railway network also has For contact details of your local County Councillor, a vital role to play in reducing carbon emissions and your Lancashire residents go to: proposals should receive widespread support. www.lancashire.gov.uk/council/councillors/myCo Please let me know if we can be of any practical uncillorFind.asp assistance to your campaign...... and enter your postcode or telephone 0845 Bob Crow, General Secretary, National Union 053 0000 and ask for the Members Secretariat. of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers. North Yorkshire residents go to Like you we believe that it is a tragedy www.northyorks.gov.uk ..... or ‘phone 0845 8 72 that railway lines are being re opened in 73 74 Scotland and Wales and that no lines have been re opened in England since the Bradford Metropolitan District residents enter your Robin Hood Line was re opened. Please postcode on the page: contact ASLEF if there is anything we www.bradford.gov.uk/asp/councillors/findward.a can do to support this campaign. sp ..... or ‘phone 01274 432111 Keith Norman, General Secretary ASLEF. We now have the support of 30 Parish Councils I am happy to support your campaign. Local rail and 4 Town Councils: Addingham, Barley, services have a vital role to play in the everyday lives of , , Blackshaw, Burley, Carleton in communities throughout the country. If we are to Craven, , Cononley, Cullingworth, , succeed in opening lines such as the Skipton to Draughton, Erringden, Farnhill, , Colne railway, then it is Gargrave, , Grassington, essential that local Heptonstall, Ilkley, & Sough, communities and the Laneshawbridge, Long Preston, , railway industry work Booth, , Steeton-with- together to show that Eastburn, Sutton in Craven, & Worsthorne they can be an with Hurstwood Parish Councils and , economic and Keighley, Skipton & Todmorden Town Councils. environmental success story. Action: if your parish or town council is not on the The work that SELRAP is doing in this respect is to be list, please write to them or contact a local commended and well worthy of TSSA's support. councillor asking them to support our campaign. I wish you every success in your endeavours. OTHER SUPPORT ….. Gerry Doherty, General Secretary, Transport Since February we have gained the support of Salaried Staffs’ Association. East Lancashire NHS Primary Care Trust, West Craven Together, Pendle District Youth Council, Readers are right to be amazed by the depth and Burnley Football Club, East Lancashire branch variety of support for SELRAP’s ongoing campaign Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), Embsay and to reopen the Skipton-Colne railway as part of the Bolton Abbey Steam Railway, Bradford Rail Users National Network. None of this is accidental. Group and Colne Cycling Campaign. Indeed, it is a reflection of the passion for, and The re-opening has also been included in the true belief in, the need for the Skipton – Colne Bradford District Transport Strategy 2006-2021. railway to be reopened as part of the National Network. And yet more vindication of the notion And finally ..... underscored by the Opposition that good ideas sell themselves. Together with Transport Secretary Susan Kramer MP, the truly amazing amount of work that all of this Environment Spokesman Chris Huhme MP, and involves for SELRAP’s Treasurer & Publicity Officer Treasury Spokesman Vince Cable MP ..... in Roy St Pierre. August 2007 the Liberal Democrats published their plans for transport and climate change. ON THE WIDER PICTURE Entitled Towards Carbon Free Transport, the Critics of SELRAP’s campaign to reopen the document makes interesting reading. The more Skipton-Colne railway have pointed a somewhat so for SELRAP supporters, for together with parochial finger at the fact that, far from being several other former routes both within and confined to the immediate corridor of the line, beyond our region, it calls for the Skipton- many of our supporters are from [much] Colne link to be reopened. further afield. See it on: But by their very nature railways join the nation www.libdems.org.uk/media/documents/policies/ together like no other mode of transport. Indeed, TOWARDS%20CARBON%20FREE%20TRANSPORT. within an increasingly global society, this simple pdf fact explains why whole swathes of the UK

RAIL UNIONS TOO ..... removed from the [rail] network forty years ago The General Secretaries of all 3 Rail Unions back remain economic backwaters. Whilst those our campaign. communities linked to regional economic drivers (major cities to you and me) by I can advise you that the RMT effective rail services are known to prosper. fully supports your campaign to re-open the Skipton to Colne Ask any estate agent in the land if you need proof railway line. Rail has a crucial of the notion! part to play in assisting local 10

But there’s more to it than that. Much more. operational benefits there is an For, in our information packed society, few can be environmental bonus too. Said by Asda to be unaware of the increasing impact of climate “quicker, arrive on time and often better change on the world as we know it ..... be it than passenger operations”, freight on rail can simply a ruined holiday ..... or regional economy. now operate at speeds between 75 and 110mph. Governments around the world point to Stobart Rail daily increasing levels of CO2 within the transports goods atmosphere as the main cause of climate between the change ..... now recognised as a greater Midlands and threat than terrorism. Scotland for Tesco. Below is the summary of an article written by In addition to the David Penney, [one of] SELRAP’s Planning & company name, Development Officers: each of the 26 containers (trucks!) One of the most compelling reasons for reopening the is labelled: Colne-Skipton railway is on environmental grounds. LESSCO2 ..... There can be no doubt that greenhouse gases, with CO2 emissions as a major contributor, are the main cause of Photo: Courtesy of Chris Milner & Railway Magazine climate change. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [IPCC] highlights a raft of key Travelling 700 miles per day the train shown measures to mitigate the worst effects of climate change above equates to 28 [road] trucks ..... clocking ..... including a reduction in transport emissions. [and clogging] up a total of 19,600 road miles. Road traffic is the fastest growing source of CO2 The service delivers annual savings of 2 million emission in UK, amounting to over 21% of all emissions litres of fuel and 6,000 tons of CO2. and rising. Air travel contributes an additional 6% ..... Since privatisation there has been a 55% increase also rising. This means the Government will miss its in rail freight haulage. Last year alone there was own target of reducing CO2 emissions by 20% below 1990 levels by 2010. The UN report goes on to state that a 10% increase. And sources suggest that the better public transport is key to a potential saving by demand for transport of freight by rail is set 2030 of 3.2 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions. to rise still faster. The Association of Train Operating Companies [ATOC] Currently 25-30% of all container traffic through argues that “The Government should seek to shift as ports goes by rail. Interestingly, the port of much as possible of the national traffic onto rail if it Immingham is set for major expansion ..... wants to reduce emissions of CO2”. Such a modal shift together with the capacity of its immediate rail should include both passenger and freight. network. Access to the port of Liverpool is to be ATOC predicts that, in the long term, rail could carry made easier with the reinstatement of a short more passengers at about half its [current] carbon section of track known as the Olive Mount Chord. intensity because of increased load factors, higher capacity and additional trains. And that the relative And reopening the Skipton-Colne line will advantage of rail [over other modes] would increase complete a new East-West route linking the further with increased use of electric traction ..... the Mersey ports with those of the Humber and more so if it was generated from sustainable sources. Tees .....offering economic and environmental Similar benefits will follow road freight transfer to rail. spin offs throughout the entire corridor, and far With all the main political parties competing to have the beyond. best green credentials, there has to be a seismic shift in As if further proof of the need to reopen selected transport policy in UK. In the light of the above evidence, the Government should immediately move routes were required, a report by Intermodality investment in transport from road & air to rail if they are ..... a company specialising in providing access to to meet their commitment to reduce C02 emissions by a network of transport consultancy services said: 20% below 1990 levels by 2010 and by 60% by 2050. Keeping pace with consumer demand for wider In my view, provided SELRAP makes out a sound choice and more sustainable distribution methods business case, using social, environmental and economic in the face of increasingly congested roads criteria, there is no doubt that the reopening of the demands a more proactive response from Colne-Skipton railway would contribute towards the Government to expansion of the rail network, at regeneration of Pendle, the health & well being of its least matching the speed with which the nation’s citizens, and the enhancement of the area, as well as rail network was cut back 40 years ago. help to reduce the impact of climate change. NEED I SAY MORE ..... GUESS WHO’S USING RAIL NOW ..... Apart from the fact that not so very long ago As road congestion makes a mockery of delivery just about everything that moved did so by times, and goods vehicles are progressively rail. And bolted on to almost every station was a limited to 56mph ..... it’s a surprising thing, some goods depot and yard. I think they are called might say, but it is the major road hauliers. supermarkets these days. Or housing estates ..... As if to prove the point, major retailers Asda sporting names such as Beeching Close(d). But Argos, Ikea, Marks & Spencer and Tesco are back in those slower times, adequate reducing their dependence on road haulage. All infrastructure in the form of multiple tracks and sorts of reasons are cited ..... from EU directives loop lines meant passenger and freight traffic on [driver] working hours to the fact that rail rubbed shoulders amicably. And a choice of freight uses 80% less energy than road ..... routes linking most of our major centres served and has just 1% of the accident rate. But it gets communities in between ..... offering flexibility better still. For, in addition to commercial and denied to today’s [rail] traffic planners. 11

Plainly, in an age of instant everything, there is no beautifully sleek, modern electric unit will provide a going back to those charming times. But so much comfortable and smooth journey, all the way to their of that thrown away just 40 years ago could be destination. No longer the traffic jams on the M6, or reinstated ..... serviced by new freight even the M65 that we currently experience on our journeys to work, to see friends and family, or those interchanges to handle ever more traffic. special holiday journeys. With lateral solutions applied to the problem of modal transfer within the transport industry as a Perhaps on rare occasions Thomas the Tank Engine might visit the towns of East Lancashire, en-route to one whole. of those local steam railways, so wonderfully preserved It is called joined up thinking ..... the sort of by dedicated enthusiasts. Do you start to see the thinking that questions why short, potential of SELRAP’s dream coming to life? Can you strategically positioned key sections of imagine the looks of joy on the faces of young children, through routes like Skipton-Colne were starved for so long of these simple pleasures of family adventures, and on their own doorsteps? culled in the first place. But, more importantly, why they remain closed? SELRAP is committed to make this dream a reality, and perhaps help to bring the smiles and dreams of many I guess the former was due to short sightedness children into this modern world of ours. on the part of the politicians of the time. As for the latter [with the benefit of hindsight] today’s BACK FROM THE FUTURE ..... politicians aren’t short sighted. It is a fact that 70% of the [60million] population Are they? Better make your views known! of the UK’ has access to a car. Simply put, 42 million of us drive 36 million cars. And, stuck IS A NEW DAY DAWNING ..... in yet another urban or motorway traffic jam, Vice Chairman Peter Nowland looks forward a year most of them, it seems at times, are going the or two: same place as you. See below for why ..... As we approach another crucial day in the life of SELRAP, What with it being [sort of] Summer, it is that I wonder “Are we seeing the opening up of a fresh dawn time of year when we wake up and suggest a for East Lancashire?” For over 30 years I have lived in family day out at the seaside. Or a city break the old mill town of Colne, witnessing its demise with the someplace. But then, having opted for a day in closing of its mills and its disconnection from the Scarborough, popping down to the station for the mainline national rail network. Trains which used to first train out of Colne will land a family of four head for destinations as far away as no longer with a bill of £130. And an instant decision to start from here. Instead we have single or two carriage diesel units which chug slowly across East Lancashire, treat your wife to a weekend in Bath brings stopping at a level crossing in Nelson to open the with it a bill of £150. But London and back crossing gate, and only aspire to go as far as Blackpool. on a whim would cost our pair £455! And all of this in addition to meals and accommodation. Today the modern world’s horizons are much greater. Not just London but places like Phuket, New York and And so at 6 o-clock in the morning we climb in a Rhodes trip off the tongue of modern travellers, but start car that is already taxed, insured and paid for your journey from Colne and your mode of travel is regardless of whether it is used or not. And restricted. Perhaps soon we will be able to rush to the the cost of fuel [in increasingly efficient modern airport of our choice, be it Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Bradford, or one of the other emerging air terminals in cars] is all that most of us take into account when the north of England, in a smooth running, modern [and considering that [return] journey to Scarborough clean] electric train. Not only that, but we are able to ..... say £20 ..... and Bath ..... say £40. relax at our final destination, knowing that the CO2 OK there are cards, discounts, savers and the like emissions we have shared in, have at least been partly for advance bookings. But clearly, demand for offset because we travelled in a train powered by electricity and used by a number of other fellow spontaneous rail travel to rival the car is travellers. being stifled by fares like those above. Which, from where the author is sitting, have to be So I queue up on Vivary Way at the gateway to Colne on my way home from work, adding the emissions from my regarded as a blunt tool for regulating car to that of many others. If I look to the left, my eyes demand for travel that would otherwise alight on the overgrown opening where trains once overwhelm the current rail network. departed and arrived from destinations such as Skipton, Only realtime expansion of the rail network will Shipley, Leeds and York. It is difficult to find the bridge come close to addressing the nation’s transport under which they passed, so overgrown has it now become. Perhaps the day is dawning when engineers crisis. Increased capacity thus created will will once more trample the trackbed, with their survey remove the need to regulate demand by cost. poles and theodolites, and bulldozers will arrive to tear And more communities linked to the network by through the years of tangled undergrowth and open up reopened lines will mean still less need to drive. the way for track to be re-laid all the way to Skipton. Reinstating just 11½ miles of railway between You may be able to hear in your thoughts the children’s Skipton and Colne will bring economic, social voices as they wait on the platforms at the newly rebuilt and environmental benefits to communities Colne Station, excited as they wait for the train to take both within and far beyond its immediate corridor. them on their day out with their families. Perhaps they don’t wear the “Kiss-me-quick” hats, or today’s Offering a raft of new journey opportunities equivalent of those that once might have been worn, but for passengers and freight, it is SELRAP’s the dreamy, excited look in their eyes speaks volumes of view that the Department for Transport their childhood contemplation of an exciting adventure. should make this project an immediate Perhaps they won’t have the wonderful whiff of coal priority. smoke coming from the steam engine, but the 12 THE NEXT SKIPTON TRAIN ..... to depart from Colne will be “THE MISSING LINK II” SELRAP is to run its second special train between Colne and Skipton & return. After taking the to Blackburn, the train will follow the route to Hellifield before heading for Skipton on the Leeds-Carlisle line. After a 2½ hour stop in Skipton the service will follow the Aire valley MEMBERSHIP FORM line to Leeds, before returning via Bradford Interchange, the Calder valley and Copy Pit Name: ...... routes to Rosegrove ..... then back to Colne. Address: Featuring five reversals of direction, this ...... unique service, operated by Northern Rail, is yet ...... more evidence of the need to reopen the Tel: ...... Mobile: ...... 11½ mile line between Skipton and Colne ..... offering a journey time of just 15 minutes. e mail:...... I wish to become a member of SELRAP and Schedules for the 130 mile round trip are: enclose my Annual Membership Fee of £5.00 OUT: Sunday 28th Oct RETURN: Sunday 28th Oct [Concessions: £3, Groups £10] and/or make DEPART COLNE: 9.58am DEPART SKIPTON: 2.10pm a donation by Cheque payable to SELRAP; Depart Nelson: 10.04am Arrive Burnley or by filling out the Standing Banker’s Depart Burnley Central: 4.04pm Order below: Central: 10.10am Arrive Nelson: 4.10pm ARRIVE COLNE: 4.16pm To: ...... Bank/Building Society, Depart Accrington: 10.20am Depart Blackburn: 10.31am Arrive Accrington: 4.41pm Branch Code: ...... ARRIVE SKIPTON: 11.37am Arrive Blackburn: 4.50pm Full Address: ...... Ticket for this unique opportunity cost £20.00 (£12.50) for children). Please note that the trip is ...... not subsidised and there are no concessions. Account Name: ...... Tickets may be only purchased from Althams Travel Services at the addresses listed below. Account No: ...... Please note that postal sales will be handled Pay To: Yorkshire Bank plc, Market Street, only at the Burnley branch ..... shown in red. Colne BB8 0HT For the Account of: SELRAP: • 14-16 Market St., Colne, BB8 OHR SELRAP wishes Branch Code: 05 – 03 - 83 Account No: • 1 Scotland Road, Nelson, BB9 7UR to thank: 34689554 The Sum of: ...... On • 12 St. James St., Burnley, BB11 1NS the same date each year Dated: ...... • 43 High Street, Skipton, BD23 1DT Signature: ...... NB Tickets sold on a first come, first served basis and, to keep administration costs down, may be Please return to: to SELRAP Membership purchased with cash or cheque [payable to Althams] only. Secretary Derek Jennings, 3 Hamilton Rd, Carr Hall, Barrowford, Lancs BB9 6DE WHAT ELSE ..... SELRAP’s Rail Ambassador scheme was launched See SELRAP’s website www.selrap.org.uk for more in June. Volunteers attended a training day in information on progress towards the restoration of Colne ..... and got a little lowdown on how and rails between Skipton and Colne. where to spread the word about SELRAP. So No internet at home? Then access our website at enthused was Joy Holdsworth that she agreed to your local library (free) ..... or maybe via a friend join SELRAP’s Executive Committee as Events or relative. Coordinator. Joy and other volunteers manned With 20,000 hits per month already SELRAP’s displays at Skipton station, Trawden and Gargrave website has got to be worth a look! shows. CravenRail is edited by: Care to help? And/or to attend the next Andy Shackleton Ambassador Day in Skipton on 29th September ...... Higher Park Farm then contact Joy: Tel. 01282 854117 Kelbrook Road The following venues are also booked: Oct 1st – 28th: Exhibition, Barnoldswick Library Lancs Oct 6th: Earby Autumn Fair: Community Centre BB18 5TD Nov10/11th: Model rail show: Park High Sch, Colne Tel: 01282 814358 Open committee meetings for 2007 & [early] 08 e mail: [email protected] • Mon. November 12th @ 7.00pm: Earby If there are issues you wish to raise, or draw to Community Centre, New Road, Earby. the attention of the Executive Committee, please • Mon. January 14th @ St. Stephen’s School, make use of the contact details above. Gargrave Road, Skipton.