Every year between 13-26 million people visit the Peak District National Park with around 85% of them arriving by car. This does not include commuter journeys or those travelling between the North West and East Midlands regions.
Currently there is only the Hope Valley line crossing the heart of the National Park, and this is served by just one stopping train per hour and the route doesn't pass through or near to some of the busiest towns and villages.
The reinstatement of this route has the potential to enable modal shift from car to train, as well as sustainably promote growth.
Together with integrating the railway with what is known as 'last mile connectivity', e.g. buses or bicycles etc, then it is possible to provide a realistic alternative to driving.
This also enables those that cannot or do not want to drive have access to the National Park and communities the line will serve.
The route also provides strategic cross regional connectivity between the North West and East Midlands.
Proposals by Peaks and Dales Line Ltd include reviewing all the former stations, as well as considering potential other locations. There are also options for Buxton which include creating a new station to facilitate the station change from a north facing terminus to a through station.
Each location will be subject to an assessment based upon potential passenger numbers and also taking into account views of people within the local communities.
The Peaks and Dales line team are considering a range of options including various routes and stopping patterns which could result in different types of services, e.g. express, semi-fast and stopping. It is too early yet to confirm a timetable or types of services as these are being evaluated as part of the business case(s).
The Monsal Trail is a popular recreational route and as part of the business case, planning requirements need an alternative solution to be proposed and accepted. The project team have established a Monsal Trail working group to begin to develop a new Monsal Trail Network which seeks to offer improved access, station to station connectivity and various grades of route to accommodate different types and abilities of users. Clearly the former railway alignment is required to enable a suitable and effective timetable can be operated to carry the predicted high number of passengers, so the proposed network would not be located on the former track bed.
There are a range of ways you can get involved and support the campaign - have a look at our Support Us page on this website.
If you believe you can offer us your services as a volunteer, then please drop us a message on the Contact page on this website. Bear with us, as we are only a small core team, but we will get back to you as soon as possible.
Raising awareness and securing support has taken a while. More importantly a mechanism was required in order to formally raise the project with the Department for Transport. Peaks and Dales Line Ltd has been able to make use of the Better Value Rail process in order to formalise a study that sets out the strategic need and the outline benefits. Better Value Rail is relatively new and works on the basis of identify risks and issues early on in the process to avoid costly mistakes later. That means the early stages take a little longer and in the meantime we are beginning to increase our campaigning to support the formal project process.
Currently the Peaks and Dales Line team have secured the support of 25 cross party Members of Parliament as well as other local councillors. Recently Derbyshire County Council passed a motion to support Peaks and Dales Line Ltd to continue with the study to evaluate the reinstatement proposals. Peaks and Dales Line Ltd are also working with other key stakeholders to secure further support or secure a positive level of communication.
Given the stages of business case that have to be completed it is not possible to say yet what the solution may look like and when it could be delivered.
Peaks and Dales Line Ltd will once the feasibility study is reviewed and deemed acceptable move to the next phase - the Strategic Outline Business Case. As part of that phase, statutory consultation will take place enabling anyone to contribute to the proposals whatever their views may be.