Colne - Ilkley line

[Gathursty]

How likely are these two stations to be reconnected via Skipton in the near future?

 

[Oswyntail]

The Ilkley end - not at all

 

[MidnightFlyer]

I think Colne-Skipton will be reopened before 2025. I doubt Skipton-Ilkley will ever happen.

 

[ole man]

How likely are these two stations to be reconnected via Skipton in the near future?

Ive been at skipton today,the broughton road sidings are getting extended and a 4th road installed,all lines will be wired with new ole structures.
This is for the new direct skipton to london services which will start in december.Is the old route to colne the one that goes round the corner?its called rylstone? There's a group called selrap i think they are trying to get the dft to do a feasibilty study into reopening it

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Ive been at skipton today,the broughton road sidings are getting extended and a 4th road installed,all lines will be wired with new ole structures.
This is for the new direct skipton to london services which will start in december.Is the old route to colne the one that goes round the corner?its called rylstone? There's a group called selrap i think they are trying to get the dft to do a feasibilty study into reopening it

Kings Cross-Skipton services have always existed...

No, Rylstone is on the Bolton Abbey branch, and heads totally the wrong way for Colne...

 

[ole man]

Kings Cross-Skipton services have always existed...

No, Rylstone is on the Bolton Abbey branch, and heads totally the wrong way for Colne...

With what traction do they run at the present moment? Where did the colne line come out at skipton? I followed some of the old trackbed from colne into skipton but couldn't see where it came out at skipton.

 

[ainsworth74]

With what traction do they run at the present moment?

HST southbound on a morning and IC225 northbound on an evening (M-F). HST both ways on Saturdays and there is no service on Sundays.

 

[ole man]

HST southbound on a morning and IC225 northbound on an evening (M-F). HST both ways on Saturdays and there is no service on Sundays.

That must be why we are extending the sidings,they must be planning on using IC225's more,do they not stable IC225's at skipton at the moment?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

There's a group called selrap i think they are trying to get the dft to do a feasibilty study into reopening it

SELRAP (The Skipton East Lancs Railway Action Partnership) have applied for a total of £40 million of bid funding from the Government's Regional Growth Fund (Round 2), in order to drive foward its campaign to reinstate the heavy rail link between Colne and Skipton.

There was a thread on this forum recently concerning the Todmorden Chord project that has Burnley Council as the lead authority, that is also bidding for £9 million funding from the same Phase 2 fund.

The Government have said that they will announce their decision on all the projects that were submitted for bid funding in Phase 2, either in September or October of this year.

 

[Ploughman]

Colne line came into Skipton approximately under the bypass bridge at the north end of the Down loop.

 

[furryfeet]

Where did the colne line come out at skipton? I followed some of the old trackbed from colne into skipton but couldn't see where it came out at skipton.

The site of Skipton North junction is where the Gargrave line curves off to the right, heading north west, just after the line is crossed by the bypass.
The Skipton line went left.

So there will have to be either a new junction slightly further north of the original, or a new tunnel underneath the bypass embankment.

There was a thread on here some time ago discussing these options.

 

[Bald Rick]

I think Colne-Skipton will be reopened before 2025.

No it won't. The bet still stands; as SELRAP never took it on.

http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=40524&page=9

 

[bluenoxid]

How likely are these two stations to be reconnected via Skipton in the near future?

Ilkley, no chance at the moment. It is not being looked at.

Currently the Embsay group are trying to source approximately £2 million to fund a set of points so that they can run into Skipton. Their case looks good and I wish them the very best in getting a connection in. I hope it works for them

Colne, well, I had fits and giggles when the bid was submitted. I have read some of the documents. They are interesting and certainly well written. I do have my concerns. I very much expect opposition to increase when the locals realise that most of the money is going to have to come from somewhere and most of it will probably be from extensive housing developments, which will probably require the M65 to be extended to Foulridge and beyond in order to accept the traffic that wants to get out of the area (anyone who has used Vivary Way will understand exactly where I am coming from). Anyone expecting improved services to Manchester and Preson will be sorely disappointed by their bid.

I still remain doubtful and I personally believe that the quickest way to prove demand is to use their clout to get a direct coach link between the two places with through rail ticketing.

 

[Toots]

How likely are these two stations to be reconnected via Skipton in the near future?

No chance whatsoever.The problem is that you have the Copy Pit route running to Leeds, so the only population centres that would really benefit would be Nelson,Colne and Skipton and relaying a line ,and all that entails ,is simply not feasible.The freight argument for reopening is outweighed by the the fact there are existing routes via the branch to the S&C North and again via Copy pit East (and vice versa),it simply will not happen....

 

[142094]

Embsay running to Skipton will probably be the most likely thing to happen in the near future. Was on the Cracoe Jack last year which went up to Rhylstone, and the platforms at Skipton could be brought back into use quite easily.

 

[tbtc]

SELRAP (The Skipton East Lancs Railway Action Partnership) have applied for a total of £40 million of bid funding from the Government's Regional Growth Fund (Round 2), in order to drive foward its campaign to reinstate the heavy rail link between Colne and Skipton

Currently the Embsay group are trying to source approximately £2 million to fund a set of points

If a set of points costs £2m then I can't imagine that £40m of Government money is going to contribute much to a line between Skipton and Colne. It'd be a luxury to fund in prosperous economic times, but its a waste of money in the current climate.

 

[bluenoxid]

If a set of points costs £2m then I can't imagine that £40m of Government money is going to contribute much to a line between Skipton and Colne. It'd be a luxury to fund in prosperous economic times, but its a waste of money in the current climate.

The points and the short section of line are not the largest material cost on this project. It is the signalling (two Signals at least required, might need a third to protect the junction northbound), interlocking (got to get it to marry into York PSB) and nearly five miles of cable that will be required to safely operate it.

The £40 million will not stretch to the £125 million that they estimate will be required by the Skipton to Colne reinstatement.

Skipton Platform 5 will probably only need resurfacing and signage as it remains in place. Have the coping stones been removed?

 

[Ploughman]

No the copes should still be in place,
But the track was moved considerably away from the platform face to improve clearances when Skipton was remodeled in the early 90s.

 

[yorksrob]

I'm all for the link from the Embsay railway, it will improve tourism and might provide a decent link for Embsay, but I'd be very dissappointed if the Skipton - Colne section, which has a couple of reasonable sized urban areas which would benefit from better links in either direction, got sidelined.

 

[Marton]

Kings Cross-Skipton services have always existed...

They have not 'always existed'.

Skipton is a Midland/LMS station and the London Terminus was St Pancras; the Thames-Clyde [not in its early days] and Thames-Forth [later the Waverly] named trains stopped in Skipton.

GNER started a SX service to KX in 1998 when it was considered rather odd for a Midland Station to be linked to KX, although a similar arrangement had existed for a time when the MasterCutler was moved to Sheffield Midland from Victoria when the latter closed in the early 1970s.

The last London services from Skipton to St Pancras were in c1976 when Nottingham became the southern terminal.