Campaigners for the return of a Colne-Skipton railway link their business case is now stronger than ever - but they need serious support from politicians to champion the proposal at government-level.
SELRAP wants a fully reinstated railway between east Lancashire, Colne, Skipton, Bradford and Leeds along the Aire Valley. At the moment, the east Lancashire side stops at Colne and is a single track with limited trains. The section to Skipton was removed in the early 1970s. Differences were highlighted by house values. Terraced houses in Skipton, where there are regular trains to Leeds and Bradford, are typically worth £100,000 more than east Lancashire homes, just 12 miles away. Train services are key factors, speakers said, The figures came from Skipton Building Society, which supports the SELRAP campaign, the meeting heard.
"If we are ever to get east Lancashire and the Aire Valley properly connected then strategic road and rail improvements are needed. Neither has happened. Connections across this central Pennine corridor are dreadful. Billions are being spent on the M62 corridor but nothing on our central corridor. "
PERCEPTIONS OF LANCASHIRE Mr Oakley said some national bodies like the Department for Transport see the central Pennine route as nationally significant but 'not big enough'. Meanwhile, Lancashire County Council, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire councils think it would be too expensive for them to lead.
Regarding an apparent dominance of big city dominance in many northern conversations, Mr Oakley added: "When I talk to people in Manchester, the number of people who come here is quite limited. It's quite worrying."
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