Our Full Press Release Follows:
Rail Minister Wendy Morton today announced that the case to reopen
the Burton to Leicester Railway line to passengers has been approved to
the next stage.
SWADLINCOTE DERBYSHIRE 18 NOVEMBER 2021
Today the Rail Minister, Wendy Morton MP, announced that she will support 10 proposals to reopen closed passenger lines in England. One of these is the proposal submitted by CRIL (The campaign to reopen the Ivanhoe Line) to reopen the railway from Burton to Leicester to passengers.
Funding will be provided to Network Rail to lead the next stage of
development work in collaboration with the Campaign to Reopen the Ivanhoe Line (CRIL). This will be released in a phased approach,with the work assessed as it progresses to support decisions on continuing development towards a full Outline Business Case and the decision to proceed with implementation.
The Department will continue working with CRIL and Network Rail on the development of this scheme, and are in touch with Douglas McLay and Bruce Wakley (CRIL) regarding next steps.
Wendy Morton said “The Department’s assessment considered the strategic and economic case presented, deliverability of the scheme and infrastructure requirements, with a focus on the transport issue and strength of case for intervention. This scheme presents significant potential to improve connectivity for communities along the route of the Ivanhoe Line and I look forward to seeing it progress.”
CRIL Spokesman Douglas McLay said “ We are delighted with this announcement which brings the re-opening of the Ivanhoe Line much closer. Passenger services on the Line would provide real value for the relatively modest government investment needed. The reopening of this railway would give a real boost to the often forgotten populations of South Derbyshire and Northwest Leicestershire. We look forward to working closely with the Department for Transport and Network Rail to deliver a railway service which meets the needs of local people”
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
CRIL (The Campaign for the Re-opening of the Ivanhoe Line) was formed by the late Geoff Bushell in 2019. He tirelessly raised awareness and support for the reopening of the Ivanhoe Line and formed a team of volunteer specialists to support him. He gained the public support of all nine first and second tier local authorities along the line, as well as all the local MPs, all of whom continue to support the Campaign.
The proposal to restore passenger services between Burton on Trent and
Leicester,and to communities along the route, was included in the first phase of the RYR programme following a submission by CRIL. CRIL received government and local authority funding to prepare a Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) which was submitted to the Department of Transport in May 2021. This SOBC now has full DFT support