SELRAP –East Rail Action Partnership

Preliminary Study of the state of the former railway trackbed between Skipton and

October 2001

The Skipton–Colne railway trackbed – too valuable a national resource to be destroyed by any development

1 Skipton-Colne railway Initial Re-instatement Feasibility Study Introduction and Summary SELRAP – the Skipton–Colne Rail Action Partnership – aims to protect the former railway trackbed between Skipton and Colne from ANY development so that it can, in due course, be re-instated as a main railway line. SELRAP has undertaken a brief study of the line, closed in 1970, to assess its suitability for restoration. It found that the trackbed is in remarkably good condition, considering the time that has elapsed, and no unexpected problems were uncovered. There have been very few incursions onto the trackbed and the line could, for the gretater part be re-instated at a relatively low cost. A significant bridge across the Leeds & Liverpool canal will need to be built, as well as a smaller one over the River Aire at Skipton. Two major roads have been built across the trackbed at either end: relaying the railway at these points will present challenges, especially at the Colne end, but the problems are by no means insurmountable.

About this report SELRAP’s first substantial activity has been to assess the trackbed between Colne and Skipton. Two study walks, led by a professional railway engineer of some standing, took place in summer 2001. On the Lancashire section members walked along the former trackbed as much as was possible: on the section observations were taken from publicly accessible viewpoints, taking full notice of private land-owning and foot and mouth disease considerations. This brief report sets out the conclusions of those preliminary studies. It considers only the physical condition of the former trackbed, so that its suitability for safeguarding against future developments can be judged. Nor does it attempt to justify the re-instatement of the railway at this stage by way of traffic forecasts or social inclusion arguments, for example. The report concludes that there are few obstacles to the re-instatement of the line, and none that are not immediately obvious. The total cost of relaying double track suitable for 90mph running, including relevant signalling and the reconnection to exisitng lines at both ends, would be £28 million ±30%. The provision of stations would be extra to this estimate.

About the line The 11.5 mile double track railway from Skipton () to Colne (Lancashire) was closed, unexpectedly and hurriedly, in 1970. (It was not earmarked for closure in the “Beeching Report”, but was condemned afterwards under the “Castle Plan”.) The trackbed has remained virtually untouched ever since: the western section, from the county boundary at Thornton-in- to Colne, is owned by Lancashire County Council and is very largely used as a permissive footpath. The eastern (North Yorkshire) section, from Thornton to Skipton, is mainly in private hands, largely the Tempest Estate.

2 In the Lancashire section, the line runs through attractive open countryside, but also serves small former industrial towns such as . In the Yorkshire section, having passed close to the ‘picture postcard’ village of Thornton-in-Craven and the hamlet of , the line passes through the Craven area, one of superb scenery. At one end is Colne, a depressed former cotton town with very poor transport links, especially by rail. At the other, Skipton, the gateway to the Yorkshire Dales, is bustling and vibrant with excellent rail services. The 11.5mile/18km Skipton–Colne line has no tunnels and no major cuttings or embankments. It rises at a gentle slope (initially at 1 in 202 and 141, but otherwise never more than 1 in 231) from Skipton (about 100m/320ft amsl), through Earby (140m/465ft) to the summit 1.75 miles east of Colne (about 160m/530ft) and then to Colne (150m/500ft).

The road proposal Lancashire County Council is proposing to use the majority of the trackbed in its area – the exception is the short stretch through the village of Earby – as the so-called “A56 Villages By-pass”, a virtual extension of the M65 towards the A65/A59 at Skipton. This proposal, second in terms of priority on the LCC new roads list, is seen by many campaigners as being a motorway by stealth, not fulfilling the objectives set out in its own documentation, and effectively bringing a trans-pennine motorway terminus just to the west of the village of Thornton-in-Craven.

A one-mile section of the trackbed east from the “Villages By-pass” terminus has been safeguarded for the Thornton-in-Craven by-pass being developed by North Yorkshire County Council.

About SELRAP SELRAP – the Skipton–East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership, was established in spring 2001. Its main aim is to protect the former railway trackbed from ANY development so that it can, in due course, be re-instated as a main railway line.

SELRAP’s statement of objectives is at the end of this report.

SELRAP is an umbrella group for all groups campaigning either against the road proposal or for the railway: it was established because the railway line crosses both county and regional boundaries, and one voice is needed to co-ordinate trans-pennine efforts. It is stressed that SELRAP itself is not against the road proposal: if it goes ahead all SELRAP asks is that it does not interfere with the future restoration of the railway by being routed and designed so as not to damage the trackbed which is, quite simply, too valuable a national resource to destroy. The Study Part 1: Thornton-in-Craven to Colne (Lancashire section)

On 18 August 2001 a walk was undertaken by several members of SELRAP and led by our qualified railway engineer, from Thornton-in-Craven to Colne along, where feasible, the trackbed of the former Skipton–Colne railway.

3 In general terms, the trackbed is in good condition, overgrown in places but the trees and bushes can easily be removed. The boundary walls and fences are also in reasonable condition. The stone-built underpasses are in good condition and would only require minimal attention. Listed as follows are the points of interest and their problems:

Earby Industrial Estate (east of Earby Village) This site is still under development. There will be a requirement for a level crossing over the road to the estate, which is level with the track bed. There is a danger that this estate could eventually encroach significantly on the trackbed. Earby Village The level crossing over the A56 will be required to be reinstated. Advance warning signs will have to be erected to the east, because of a blind bend on the road approach to the crossing. Earby - Road to North Holme Estate Level crossing to be reinstated. Earby - West of above road Three houses to the north of the line have encroached and fenced onto the trackbed by 20ft. A number of houses on the south of the line have encroached onto the trackbed by up to 15ft. Earby There is a Transco main gas pipe, which is above ground at an underpass, west of Earby, which would not give adequate clearance for twin tracks over the underpass. West of Kelbrook an underpass to a farm track has had its top half demolished. Kelbrook – Foulridge The bridge over the Leeds & Liverpool Canal has been demolished. It was at a shallow angle relative to the line of the canal, and is relatively long. Replacing the bridge would be sraightforward, however. Foulridge (West of Station) The trackbed under a bridge is waterlogged and will require drainage, with possible pumping. Colne There will be a requirement to achieve a suitable crossing of the A6068 (Vivary Way) at Colne. Here the trackbed and the road are about level, but the road is four lanes wide- and a roundabout (the terminus of the M65 motorway) is approximately 200 yards to the west. There is a road junction a short distance to the east of this crossing point. To the north the railway passes under a still-present road bridge: to the south the railway passes over a viaduct just before Colne station, defining its vertical level there. Seemingly, the only feasible solution would be for the road to be bridged over the trackbed. A football pitch site between the A6068 and the station, will need to be relocated. This is the major challenge facing the re-instatement of the railway, but it is by no means insurmountable.

4 General It would be entirely feasible to re-instate the railway in the Lancashire section, but the two bridges that are required, over the canal and the A6068 at Colne, increase the costs dramatically.

The unknown factors are: i. Does the Transco gas pipe at Earby require to be moved along the whole route or can it be diverted locally where it is on the surface (or underpasses)? Maps of the pipe have been obtained and discussions need to be held with Transco to determine the situation at a later date. ii. The status of the encroachment onto the line of route by residents at Earby will be investigated. iii. The industrial development at Earby has the potential to cause damage to the trackbed which would be expensive and difficult to restore, if further planning permissions are granted.

Cost It is estimated that the reinstatement costs would be £1 million per mile, therefore approx. £6 million. However, the two bridges could cost another £12 million. This would cover a dual line track in the Lancashire section of the line, built to a standard to allow passenger trains to run at up to 90mph. Therefore the costs for this section could be £18 million ±30%, a figure which is well in line with similar proposals being pursued elsewhere in the UK. The Study Part 2: Skipton to Thornton-in-Craven (North Yorkshire section)

A brief survey of the North Yorkshire section of the line was carried out early in September 2001. At this time the Craven area was under strict foot and mouth disease- related restrictions, so it was only possible to observe the trackbed from public roads. Listed as follows are the points of interest and their problems:

Skipton The original route of the Colne line from Skipton station was from a junction with the Leeds–Carlisle line about 1000 yards to the west of the station. This site is now where the A629 Skipton by-pass crosses the former railway and obstructs the former alignment. However, less than 50 yards later, the road bridges the Leeds–Carlisle line. The original alignment towards Colne could still be used if a new bridge was constructed to take the by-pass over, but it is perhaps more feasible to form a junction off the Skipton–Carlisle line immediately to the west of the A629 bridge. A new alignment could then curve towards the old route and re-join it just before crossing the river Aire, under one half of a mile from the junction.

River Aire The crossing over the river has been dismantled but the river is not very wide at this point, and is shallow. Should it be required, the rail embankment to the east of the river is intact.

5 Heslaker Lane at Funkirk, immediately west of the river The bridge over the road, which is immediately to the west of the river crossing, has also been dismantled, but the embankment to the west is intact. The distance from the embankment to the west of Heslaker Lane to the embankment to the east of the river crossing is under 100 yards, and the former trackbed is some 13ft above the river surface, giving adequate protection from flooding if a new bridge were built along the former alignment across both road and river.

Elslack (Church Lane) Between Heslaker Lane (the Carleton-Funkirk road) and Church Lane (the Elslack- Primrose Hill minor road), a distance of under 2.5 miles, the railway runs behind Broughton Hall, generally between widely-spaced walls, and was not accessible at the time of the survey. To the east of the latter road, the trackbed has been concreted over for 400 yards, and crushed stone laid for a further short distance, to provide access to Low Ground Farm. The distance between the walls is such that an access road or bridle/cycleway could be maintained alongside a railway.

Elslack (Elslack Lane) The bridge over this narrow road, just south of the Tempest Arms inn, has been dismantled but the embankments are in good condition on both sides of the road and the stone abutments are intact. There is a new industrial development to the east of this road, on the site of the former Elslack station buildings, but the trackbed is clear of any obstructions within the area, and the track could be relaid without seriously affecting the development. At the time of writing this building is unoccupied and is ‘To Let’. Immediately to the south-west of Elslack Lane the railway cuts through the site of Burwen Castle, a Roman Fort and an ancient monument, but re-instating the railway should cause no further incursion into this site than was caused when the railway was first built in 1847.

General This section provides fewer physical re-instatement problems, as far as can be seen, than would the Lancashire section. Apart from creating the junction off the Leeds– Carlisle line west of Skipton and then bridging the river Aire, the route is very straightforward and there are no ‘unknown factors’. Once foot and mouth restrictions are lifted this route will be examined more closely, using public footpaths as vantage points.

Cost Again, double track could be relaid over the majority of this five-mile section for around £1 million per mile. However, to form a junction with the Skipton–Colne line, and then bridge the river Aire and Heslaker Lane would cost in the region of £4-5 million. Therefore the costs for this section could be £10 million, and for the whole line from Skipton–Colne would be in the order of £28 million ±30%. The provision of stations along the route would be extra to this rough estimate.

6 The Sustrans ‘ Cycleway’ report In September 1998 Sustrans, having been commissioned by Craven District Council, published a report detailing a proposed cycleway from Skipton to Earby largely utilising the former railway trackbed for its route. On the one hand, this report suggests that several railway bridge abutments be demolished so that gentle inclines can be provided for cyclists to gain acess to the trackbed from the roadway, which runs under the former bridge: such demolition would increase considerably the cost of re-instating the railway in this section and would therefore reduce the chances of such a re-instatement. On the other hand, Sustrans’ policy is believed to be such as to be supportive of railway re-instatements on former trackbeds it has taken over for cycleways. For much of the route between Skipton and Earby the trackbed is wide enough for rail and cycle to co-exist, and the replacement of demolished bridges for rail use, for example over country lanes and the river Aire, could be of benefit to cyclists, walkers etc. In this respect co-operation between the varous cycling and walking groups and Sustrans on the one hand, and the future promoter of the railway’s re-opening on the other, could bring benefits to all parties with the minimum of costs. Conclusions Given that it is now 31 years since the Skipton–Colne railway closed, the trackbed is in remarkably good condition and there have been very few incursions or breaches, with the exception of Vivary Way in Colne, the loss of the bridges over the Leeds & Liverpool canal and the river Aire, and the building of the A629 Skipton western bypass. Re-instatement of the railway as a trans-pennine and local railway route is thus relatively straight forward and could be achieved for around £28 million ±30%. But SELRAP’s prime aim for the moment is to protect the trackbed from any development which would render re-instatement of the railway more difficult or expensive. Further localised developments, such as car parks, should be denied, while major ones, such as the “A56 Villages By-pass” should be designed so as not to affect the trackbed. And, while rail and cycleway can co-exist, any implementation of the West Craven cycleway should not include removal of former railway bridge abutments. It is government policy that former railway trackbeds should be safeguarded against development, and this is expressed in Planning Policy Guidance Note 11 and the Government’s White Paper on Transport. And, while this policy is not law, a Private Member’s Bill has recently been deposited in the House of Commons to that effect. Nationally, of all the former trackbeds which have not so far been safeguarded, that betwen Skipton and Colne is by far the most important, the most strategic, and is simply far too valuable a national resource to be lost, just when railways are seeing a renaissance and there is increasing demand for new routes and new services – not to mention the increasing awareness of the need for more “green” transport and less reliance on the private motor car.

For more information on SELRAP or this study, please contact: Steve Broadbent, Chairman SELRAP, 35 Bromley Road, Bingley, BD16 4DA Tel: 01274 569280 e-mail: [email protected] web site: www.selrap.org.uk

7 SELRAP Skipton–East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership

railway to Lancaster & Carlisle Skipton railway junction to be created: station river Aire and Carleton-

Funkirk road to be bridged

Bridge over Elslack- Primrose Hill road Skipton by-pass to be rebuilt Elslack to be tunneled under or

avoided by new alignment Thornton-in- Craven North Yorkshire railway to Lancashire Leeds & Bradford, etc. Earby level crossing Earby (A56 road) to be re-made

Kelbrook N

Foulridge canal bridge over L&L canal to be replaced

Vivary Way, Colne, to be crossed 0 1 2km Colne Station

existing railway to Burnley, Blackburn, Manchester & Preston Showing the route of the rail link between Skipton & Colne and the key features along the line

8 Beeching in Reverse – what it says about the Skipton–Colne railway, and the way ahead for SELRAP

The Beeching in Reverse report was published on 11 September 2001 by the Huddersfield-based Transport Research and Information Network (TR&IN). The report discusses the railway re-openings that have taken place in the UK since the Beeching era and how and why the process should be speeded up.

Appendix 2 of the report lists some 41 former railway lines in which it says could possibly be re-opened to full-scale passenger (and possibly freight) traffic.

Against each of the 41 schemes is listed seven criteria with a “tick mark” to indicate if that scheme fulfils each criteria.

The Skipton-Colne line is one of only seven in the 41 to receive “seven ticks”.

The seven criteria are:

1) would the re-opening aid Regional Development? 2) would the line form part of the nation’s Strategic Network? 3) would it provide significant Local Benefits? 4) would it contribute towards Sustainable Tourism? 5) would it help overcome Social Exclusion? 6) does it bring worthwhile Environmental Benefits? 7) would the line offer Freight Potential?

There is an eighth criteria, which Skipton–Colne does not, at present, meet: it is not on the Strategic Rail Authority’s Strategic Agenda, largely, we believe, because of the road proposal.

One of SELRAP’s next key objectives will be to lobby the SRA to have the line placed on this Agenda, and to initiate a process which will safeguard the trackbed against any development. Such a move is in line with the government’s regional planning guidance to local authorities, and an MP has tabled a Private Member’s Bill in Parliament calling for all former railway trackbeds to be safeguarded against development so as to protect the nation’s resources.

9 ++++++++++++++++++++ Skipton–Colne railway trackbed Key reasons for safeguarding this important national resource

++ The 11.5 mile link between Skipton and Colne is the missing link in what would otherwise be the lowest level trans-Pennine rail route between the Humber & West Coast ports, between Preston and the West Coast Main Line and Leeds and the cities of Yorkshire. It is an alternative to the heavily graded and trafficked Huddersfield & Calder Valley trans-Pennine routes, and also avoids the already congested lines in Manchester. Although under increasing threat, the trackbed is essentially intact and the railway could be restored at a relatively low cost: any further incursion would destroy a resource of national value and would be contrary to government policies.

++ The line connects the socially deprived and depressed areas of north- east Lancashire (Nelson, Burnley, Colne, etc) to the more prosperous West Yorkshire area, and provides an alternative to road transport for people visiting Skipton/the Aire Valley from Lancashire, and vice versa. Car ownership is low in East Lancashire leading to social exclusion.

++ Skipton–Colne re-opening would benefit residents and road users by providing an alternative to road transport with better air quality and fewer road accidents. It could contribute to the achievement of the Government’s ten-year targets for increasing rail passenger usage and to the reduction of traffic on the adjoining road network. It could also contribute to a transfer of freight traffic from road to rail.

++ Development of Skipton–Colne would act as a catalyst to improvements between Blackburn, Burnley and Colne, where the present train service in relation to population is very poor when compared with similar areas in West Yorkshire. Development of the whole Blackburn–Skipton corridor would bring large and widespread economic and social inclusion benefits to a deprived region.

++ The line would provide a major trans-pennine rail route for passenger and freight use, creating additional capacity by forming a strategically important route between Yorkshire and Lancashire – Preston and Blackpool in particular.

++ A number of new travel opportunities would open up, eg Aire Valley– Manchester, Preston–Skipton. Improving access to the Yorkshire Dales (via Skipton) would make an important contribution to sustainable development in rural areas in North Yorkshire. ++++++++++++++++++++

10 SELRAP Skipton–East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership

Statement of Aims

SELRAP is a one-subject co-ordinating umbrella group, bringing together all organisations in the Yorkshire and Lancashire areas with a common purpose.

That purpose is to fight for the re-instatement of the railway line between Skipton (North Yorkshire) and Colne (Lancashire) for passenger and freight use, and to ensure that until that aim can be attained, the trackbed is not adversely affected by development or any other preventable cause.

The missing section of railway, 11.5 miles in length and closed in January 1970, is seen as a major national and regional resource which needs to be re-instated to provide trans-Pennine and local rail services accessible to all and helping to take heavy freight off the region’s roads. In the first instance SELRAP will co-ordinate campaigns to protect the railway trackbed from any development which will preclude its future re-use as a railway.

SELRAP only fights FOR the railway: it does not, in itself, have a view on the proposed “M65 motorway extension” (also known as the “A65 Villages Bypass”) from Colne towards Skipton, which would use the railway trackbed for much of its route. However, every member body of SELRAP is strongly against this new road scheme. SELRAP’s view is that if the road has to be built, it should be done so as not to violate the trackbed or make re-instatement of the railway more expensive. Similarly, local authorities will be pressed not to approve planning applications which would affect the trackbed or render re-instatement more difficult.

Membership of SELRAP is open to nominated representatives of all relevant campaigning groups with branches in the area. Its primary purpose is to co-ordinate the pro-rail campaigns of such groups and to keep those groups informed of any developments reported by its members. Individuals with specific interest in the re-instatement of the Skipton–Colne railway and with experience, resource and expertise to offer, may also join SELRAP, but are encouraged to join associated groups such as rail user groups, FoE, CPRE, as is appropriate to their own interests and philosophies.

SELRAP will be managed by a small volunteer committee, elected from time to time by its members, and will levy such membership fees as its members might from time to time agree upon, in order that the group may be financially viable.

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