Lake District rail line to be electrified

A railway line that runs through the Lake District will be electrified, the government has said.

Transport minister Baroness Kramer said the Windermere branch line in Cumbria would be upgraded at a cost of £16m.

The work on the 10-mile stretch, which runs between Oxenholme and Windermere, could be completed by 2017.

It will form part of a wider regional electrified route reaching Kendal, Burneside, Staveley and Manchester, Lady Kramer said.

She said: "Electrifying this key rail link will support the vital tourism industry in the area, and help us build a stronger economy in the Lake District and beyond.

Network Rail will now form a detailed plan to carry out the work.