A WORKING group led by Lancashire County Council with representatives of many agencies is looking at whether re-opening the Colne to Skipton line, a railway closed many years ago, is feasible and affordable.

There does not seem to be much optimism as the route has many blockages.

I am just a member of the general public but I have submitted an alternative plan, a ‘light railway’, to County Hall.

Trains from Blackpool South would terminate at Burnley Central.

From a platform on the disused rails at Rosegrove, a ‘light railway’ using single and double tracks would go to Burnley Central, stations to Colne and then, using roads, fields and the old railway bed to Skipton, but now calling at Barnoldswick as well as Earby.

A new terminus would be built on Burnley’s St James Street with a rail link (by road) to Central Station on to Colne and then by a new branch to Colne centre.

The service would leave Skipton timed to arrive at Rosegrove to meet the train to Manchester and then return to Burnley to form a Colne centre service.

A service from Colne centre would go to Rosegrove to collect passengers from the train coming to Manchester and go to Skipton.

This would mean passengers could go from Skipton to Manchester with only a short changeover at Rosegrove.

Passengers arriving at Rosegrove from Preston, Blackburn, Accrington and West Yorkshire would, each hour, have a service to Skipton, a service to Colne centre and a train via Barracks to Burnley Central.

David Duckworth, Darwen