Campaigners urge action on new passenger routes

REOPENING 33 sections of railway across Britain could bring 500,000 more people within walking distance of a main line station, generating an extra 20 million journeys every year, according to a new report by the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT).

At an estimated overall cost of between £4.76billion and £6.39bn, 343 miles of passenger railway could be added, employing 166 miles of reopened route and 177 miles of freight-only lines upgraded to passenger standards.

*GBRf Class 66 No. 66728Institution of Railway Operators* climbs past the site of Bagworth and Ellistown station on May 15, 2015, with ballast empties from Westbury to Stud Farm quarry. The Leicester to Burton line is one of 33 closed or freight-only railways suggested by the Campaign for Better Transport as priority candidates for reopening to passengers over the next 15 years. CHRIS MILNER

Projects across England, Wales and Scotland would be implemented in two phases, with Phase 1 between 2020 and 2025 costed at £1.28bn and £1.81bn, and the more complex
longer-term schemes costing between £3.48bn and £4.58bn, following between 2025 and 2035.

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Nigel Devereux

Railway Production Editor at Mortons Media Group Ltd.

Nigel Devereux is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Lincoln, working in the School of English and Journalism. He has worked within the print publishing industry for 38 years. Nigel was editor of his hometown newspaper - The Horncastle News - from 1998-2001. Nigel is currently the Production Editor on The Railway Magazine, the UK’s biggest selling magazine for railway enthusiasts. He is also responsible for maintaining and updating several websites across the Mortons portfolio.
01507 529529 | NDevereux@Mortons.co.uk

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