Fight to restore rail link not over, vow campaigners

The railway still runs through towns like Coalville, but doesn't carry passenger trains

The “bitter blow” that government funding to restore a passenger rail link through the Midlands has been withdrawn does not mean the fight is over, campaigners have said.

On Monday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the Treasury needed to find £5.5bn of savings in 2024 and a further £8.1bn in 2025.

The entire Restoring Your Railways scheme was among transport projects pulled to save a projected £85m, including the Ivanhoe Line plan to reconnect Leicester and Burton through North West Leicestershire and South Derbyshire.

A Network Rail-backed business case to reinstate the the Ivanhoe Line, which closed to passengers as part of the infamous Beeching Cuts of the 1960s, had been sat on the desks of the previous Conservative government with hopes high that work could start in 2024.

The Campaign for the Restoration of the Ivanhoe Line (CRIL) believes the case can still be made for the benefits reopening the line would bring - adding the £100m needed to restore the line was “relatively modest”.

CRIL’s Douglas McLay said the group now planned to rally supporters to press their case to government.

He said: “The project was just on the verge of being funded to the next stage when the election was called and the case that was put forward by Network Rail and ourselves was considered to be very strong.

“After nearly 50 years we were optimistic we were actually going to make progress. It’s a body blow to hear it’s going to be unfunded.

“This scheme is something that is going to produce exceptional benefit in an area that has received very little government money.

“We believe the Ivanhoe Line is such an exceptional case that it should be considered for immediate refunding.

“That’s where our focus is now going to be.”

Campaigners say the scheme comes with a relatively low price tag

North West Leicestershire Labour MP Amanda Hack has said she will ask the Treasury to review the case to restore a passenger rail service between Leicester and Burton through the congested Coalville, Ashby and Swadlincote A511 corridor.

And Samantha Niblett, Labour MP for South Derbyshire says she has spoken with Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh about the campaign.

Ms Hack said: “This latest development is a setback, but I’m an optimist.

“I will continue to work with all parties to get the green light for the full reopening of the Ivanhoe Line.

“I will write to the Treasury to restate the case. I will also press the Secretary of State for Transport to review the project.”

Ms Niblett said: “Our support for this campaign continues.”

The transport secretary Louise Haigh said: "I am determined that we build the transport infrastructure to drive economic growth and opportunity in every part of the country and to deliver value for money for taxpayers.

"That ambition requires a fundamental reset to how we approach capital projects – with public trust, industry confidence and government integrity at its heart."

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