FEATURE
RAILSTAFF NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2021
T
he former ‘Peak Line’ was closed in 1968 by Barbara Castle, having delivered East Midlands to North-West connectivity for 101 years. Though not a Beeching closure recommendation, that infamous report set the scene for rails’ rapid decline in the 1960s. With motorways and cars in their ascendency, the sun seemed to be setting on rail as a 19th century technology. Yet, after closure, nothing replaced the Peak Line’s direct connectivity. As a result, today’s road and rail journeys are far slower than the best non-stop time of 75 minutes by train between Derby and Manchester available 60 years ago.
© Matt Gibson
22
RE IN S TAT I
'PEAKS AN
Post closure, 13 miles of track was lifted and ownership gradually changed, with eight miles transferred to the Peak Park Joint Planning Board for £1 in the early 1980s. With an undertaking that the alignment would be protected for rail’s return, the curtain was raised on Monsal Trail aspirations. However, even the last feasibility study (Scott Wilson, 2004) did not prioritise trail reprovisioning as, with its tunnels still closed, a strenuous climb over and around ‘gaps’ along the route limited usage.
MONSAL TRAIL SUCCESS The re-opening of those tunnels in 2011, funded by the Department for Transport (DfT), was therefore a significant milestone, and visitor numbers increased along this newlylevel trail despite poor visitor accessibility to all but road users. As the Monsal Trail became a successful multi-user affair, especially in peak tourist season, official commitment to rail reinstatement faded, despite that 30-year-old undertaking. Indeed, claimed pre-Covid levels of 300,000 annual users have risen further through the pandemic’s staycation effect. Re-provisioning the trail is therefore an important aspect of this reinstatement, an opportunity to create a unique, integrated and more sustainable ‘rail plus trail’ experience. Fortunately, the campaign believes it can now deliver a suitable replacement trail to complement the rebranded ‘Peaks and Dales Line’. © Brett Charlton
Former railway station at the Peak District village of Millers Dale is now a popular resting spot for cyclists on the Monsal Trail - a transformation of the railway line into a cycle and walking path through Derbyshire. All photos © The HRE Group RAILSTAFF.CO.UK | @RAIL_STAFF | FACEBOOK.COM/RAILSTAFF
