Consultation evening for railway volunteers

Very time sensitive this one folks. This article is lifted from the Yorkshire Post, in which it states the event (which you can read about below) takes place the following evening - so that will be Tuesday 28th September then. If you're interested best get your skates on


View Larger Map

and check out the Map so you'll know where to head......

Confirmation of the event can be found here on the Penistone Line Partnership website.

Published Date: 26 September 2010

By Jeni Harvey

PEOPLE living in communities close to the Penistone railway line between Huddersfield and Sheffield are invited to a consultation evening tomorrow.

The event, which begins at 7pm at Shepley Library and Information Centre in Marsh Lane, Shepley, aims to find out how volunteers would like to get involved at stations along the Penistone line.

Voluntary organisation the Penistone Line Partnership event, which will be attended by Northern Rail, which manages the stations.

Community rail partnership officer Rowena Chantler, from the Penistone Line Partnership, said: "We would like people to come along not only to tell us what improvements they would like to see, but more importantly what they would like to get involved in and what skills they want to offer or develop to make the most of their local station.

"People tend to think that volunteers on this sort of project will just get involved in gardening or painting benches and, while that sort of work is really important, people who want to volunteers their time for arts and crafts, writing or blogging or helping to design and put up posters are really valuable too.

"Any existing groups who would like to join forces on this project would be most welcome to attend as well as interested individuals."

Last week it was confirmed the East Peak Innovation Partnership will be putting £3,500 in funding towards a "station adoption" scheme.

A spokesman for the Penistone Line Partnership explained: "Adopting the station by the local community provides volunteer opportunities, adds value to what is already there, helps make the station more welcoming and attractive and encourages local people to be more involved in how their local facilities are managed." END

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NEXT CAMPAIGN MEETING: Thursday 15th July 2010

Here's a scan taken from a book about railways, there's a reference to a signal box inside the tunnel, imagine that!

The next campaign meeting is 7:30pm, Thursday 15th July 2010 at Glossop Labour Club.

See you there....

An open letter to Rt Hon. Philip Hammond Secretary of State for Transport

e-mail: reopen.woodheadline@googlemail.com
Re-Open The Woodhead Line PO Box 367 Hyde Cheshire SK13 4WD

Rt Hon. Philip Hammond
Secretary of State for Transport
Great Minster House
76 Marsham Street
LONDON
SW1P 4DR



Dear Mr. Hammond,

Former Woodhead Railway (Manchester – Sheffield)

We would like to see the Government show some foresight and safeguard this route and commit it for future reopening & development. The National Grid are the current owners of the new (1954) Woodhead tunnel and are currently laying high voltage cables through it, thus rendering it unsuitable for rail use in the short to medium term. In contrast our European Swiss neighbours are constructing three new railway tunnels through their mountains! It seems a strange anomaly that there is only one surviving rail route connecting Manchester and Sheffield, when there are three between Manchester and Liverpool. The closure in 1981 represented an appalling lack of vision of the Government of the day. No where else in Western Europe would an electrified railway have been closed between two cities the size of Manchester and Sheffield...

Woodhead was the shortest and quickest rail route between these cities and the new tunnel was built to a high standard. As it is concrete lined, it is not as susceptible to the water ingression which so troubles the older Victorian tunnels through the Pennines. The tunnel was also constructed to a large gauge that would enable continental size railway containers to pass through it and is the only tunnel though the Pennines built to this standard. It would prove to be a much greater engineering challenge and considerably more costly to electrify the remaining Manchester-Sheffield route (Hope Valley) which has three long tunnels, none with sufficient clearance for electrification and in addition reported to be running at capacity. Therefore, to lose Woodhead for potential rail traffic makes no sense and clearly contradicts the Government’s own policy regarding the reduction of carbon emissions and ‘sustainability.’

If the Woodhead route were reopened, it would facilitate a practical commute for people living in the Tameside and Glossop areas to enable them to work in Sheffield, whereas now they can only realistically travel to Manchester by train on a day-to-day basis. Additionally, when maintenance work is undertaken on the Hope Valley route, the Woodhead one would provide a convenient diversionary one, therefore negating the need for those awful rail replacement buses which seem to have become such a feature of “rail” travel in the U.K. The Settle – Carlisle railway was saved from closure in the 1980’s, and this route is often used as a diversionary one when the engineers are engaged on the West Coast one, just to illustrate this point. In addition, the stopping service on the remaining Hope Valley route is very well used by cyclists and walkers etc. as it facilitates leisure opportunities in the White Peak. Reopening Woodhead would do the same in the High Peak area. New stations were constructed at both ends of the new tunnel in the 1950s, however they did not remain open for long.

The previous Government had intimated that the old Victorian Woodhead tunnels would be maintained and inspected. Are you are able to reaffirm the commitment? With modern tunnel boring machines it would be possible to re-bore the old tunnels if necessary. Apparently, their alignment is more conducive to high speed as they are dead straight. Such a route may be required as a spur from the proposed high speed 2 rail development from London to the north.

Will our political leaders ever show forethought and courage or will they just carry on with their stubborn free market dogma? We think this line should be reopened in the strategic national and regional interest. Reopening would be a fitting gesture to the workmen who constructed the new tunnel, some of who are still alive today. There is still a plaque at Manchester Piccadilly railway station commemorating the opening of the New Woodhead tunnel and electrification in 1954; how ludicrous that it was shut just 27 years later! The Scottish Executive is supporting the reopening of the Waverley route in Scotland, which does not connect conurbations the size of Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire. They clearly have more foresight than the administration in London.

The previous Government blocked three interesting proposals to revitalise this route, that by the Central Railway Company, one by Translink and also Arriva trains. As I write these words I can recollect Mr. Prescott excitedly ranting about integrated transport in the early days of the former labour administration. Well, to quote the words of a local transport inspector, “we have not had any integrated transport since before 1986”…


Yours sincerely


David Bryson

Chair, Campaign to reopen the Woodhead Line

Woodhead Campaign briefing sheet

All the latest information on the Woodhead Campaign is incorporated into our new briefing sheet.

It includes the aims of the campaign, notable supporters and progress to date - all the commonly asked questions people have.

You can download it here.

If you have any comments, amendments or suggestions let us know.

Longdendale Integrated Transport Strategy (LITS) consultation submission

Re-open the Woodhead Line made an official submission to Tameside Council's Longdendale Integrated Transport Strategy (LITS) consultation. Here is the text of that submission:

FAO the Program Officer,

I am writing to you as the Chair of Re-open the Woodhead Line campaign group and on behalf of the group, in response to your ‘Initial Public Consultation & Participation’ regarding the proposed Longdendale Integrated Transport Strategy (LITS).

Our comments relate to how the proposed transport strategy intends to include improvements to rail services and rail infrastructure.

We have two particular concerns. First, you suggest that the railway line between Hattersley and Hadfield/Glossop would have increased frequency of rail services. However, there is neither any technical detail nor any explanation as to how or indeed, whether this could be actually achieved. Whilst we would generally support rail improvements such lack of detail and explanation renders it difficult to make an informed choice.

More importantly, we note that the re-opening of the Woodhead Line is not contained within any of your proposed Options, not even as part of any long term strategy. In fact it does not even rate a mention either as a component within an Option or within the accompanying literature.

Within the context of what is purported to be an integrated strategy for Longdendale, this seems like a glaring and indeed an extraordinary omission, given both the popularity and the cost effectiveness of implementing this measure.

The railway line between Manchester and Sheffield, via Woodhead, was part of the first electrified main line railway in Britain.  The central section of less than 20 miles in length was closed to passenger and freight traffic in 1981. 

Reinstatement of this relatively short section of line would vastly improve the connectivity of the rail network throughout the whole of Northern England and also significantly benefit the wider network.

As there has previously been major investment in the infrastructure of the line, particularly in the three- mile long Woodhead tunnel, re-opening the line represents an opportunity to enhance transport infrastructure both cost effectively and in a relatively short timescale.
 
A re-opened Woodhead line offers the following key benefits: 
 
1. Reduced Environmental Impact  
- A potential 70% reduction in CO2 emissions from people and freight crossing the Peak District National Park using rail rather than road transport.  
- Reduced road traffic in the National Park as a result of moving more freight to rail. 
- A consequential reduction in accidents on trans-Pennine roads. 
 
2. Reduced Journey Times 
- Research suggests that the current typical journey time between Manchester and Sheffield could be reduced from 55 minutes to 35 minutes.  
- Re-opening the line would provide a much faster rail route between the main East and West coast ports and relieve congestion on the current rail network around Sheffield. 
 
3. Improved Accessibility 
- Greater public transport access could be provided to the Dark Peak area of the National Park for non-car users, cyclists and the disabled, where current provision is very poor. 
- New connectivity between South Yorkshire and the eastern suburbs of Manchester and Longdendale would result. The line would open up new opportunities for employment, leisure and inward investment in the communities that it would link. 
- Integration with proposed new high speed rail services to / from London and Europe would provide lower carbon journey alternatives to flying.  
 
4. Improved Reliability 
- An important diversionary route in the case of engineering works or incidents on the over-burdened line through the Hope Valley. This would remove the need for the current arrangements when the Hope Valley line is closed, whereby rail passengers are transferred to buses for the journey between Sheffield and Manchester with the consequence of longer journey times and disruption due to bad weather. 
- A generally more resilient route for freight and passengers crossing the Pennines during the winter months. 
 
For all of these reasons we feel that the re-opening of the Woodhead Line should be integral to any transport strategy for the area and that this important railway line should play a mandatory role within the context of any integrated transport strategy for Longdendale and its environs.
 
 
Yours sincerely, 
    
David Bryson
Chair, Re-open the Woodhead Line Campaign

Candidates of all political parties unite to call for a re-opened Woodhead rail route

Parliamentary candidates from across the political spectrum today are united in their support of the campaign to re-open the Woodhead rail route. Campaigners recently saved the Woodhead Tunnel after work by the National Grid threatened to make future use for rail impossible. Having secured Government assurances that the option for re-instating the line would remain open in 2008, and the fight is now on to re-open the trans-Pennine rail route from Manchester to Sheffield which closed in 1982.

Chair of the Re-open the Woodhead Route Campaign, David Bryson said:

“At this important time we believe a re-opened Woodhead Route would aid economic recovery on both sides of the Pennines, as well as deliver significant environmental and social benefits. We welcome the support for our campaign from all the main political political parties in the region.”

The local candidates in support of the campaign are:

Peter Allen, High Peak, Green Party

Alistair Stevens, High Peak, Lib Dem

Caitlin Bisknell, High Peak, Labour Party

Andrew Bingham, High Peak, Conservative

Jonathan Reynolds, Stalybridge & Hyde, Labour

Clive Betts, Sheffield South East (was Attercliffe), Labour

David Blunkett, Sheffield Brightside & Hillsborough, Labour

John Sharp, Sheffield Brightside & Hillsborough, Conservative

Jillian Creasy, Sheffield Central, Green Party

Michael Dugher, Barnsley East, Labour

Paul Buckley, Ashton St Michaels, Conservative

Angela Smith, Penistone & Stocksbridge, Labour


For more information Re-open the Woodhead Line Campaign spokesperson:

Jonathan Atkinson

0781 861 7899

savethewoodheadtunnel@gmail.com


ENDS




Notes:

1. The Re-open the Woodhead Route Campaign has been in existence since December 2007. More information can be found here:

http://www.savethewoodheadtunnel.org.uk

2. Parliamentary candidates at the 2010 General Election in constituencies which would stand to gain from a re-opened Woodhead rail route were asked to sign up to the core aims of the Re-open the Woodhead Route Campaign group.

There are that the benefits of a re-opened Woodhead line are:

1. Reduced Environmental Impact

* 70% reduction in CO2 emissions by moving the transport of people and freight across the Peak District National Park from road to rail.

* Reduced congestion through the Park from moving freight to rail and piggybacking HGVs on trains.

* Fewer tunnels on the Woodhead route would allow the line to be electrified more quickly and at less expense than the existing Hope Valley Line.

* Reduced road accidents through road traffic reduction

2. Reduced Journey Times

* The 2001 Arriva proposal stated that use of Woodhead could reduce Manchester to Sheffield journeys times from the current average of 55 minutes to 35 minutes. More recent proposals have hinted that journey times could be reduced further using existing trains.

* Trains between the English core cities of Nottingham / Sheffield and Manchester / Liverpool currently use the Hope Valley Line to travel between Sheffield and Manchester. The average speed of these journeys are the slowest on the rail network between any core English cities.

* Re-opening Woodhead would provide a fast rail route between the main East and West coast ports and relieve congestion on the current rail network around Sheffield.

3. Improved Accessibility

* A re-opened line could provide public transport access to the Dark Peak area for non-car users, cyclists and the disabled, where current provision is very poor.

* New connectivity between South Yorkshire and the eastern suburbs of Manchester and Longdendale. The line would open up new opportunities for employment, leisure and inward investment to the communities it would link.

* Integration with proposed new high speed rail services to / from London and Europe would provide lower carbon journey alternatives to flying.

4. Improved Reliability

* Availability as a diversion route when the Hope Valley Line is closed for engineering work or incidents. This would prevent the current arrangements whereby rail passengers are bussed between Sheffield and Manchester when the line is closed.

* More resilient transportation for freight and passengers across the Pennines during periods of bad weather.

* Integration with the High Speed rail network would provide contingency during incidents when flights are disrupted.


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Guardian Article - Tuesday 6th April 2010

I'd like to draw the attention of those who missed it to an article written by Christian Wolmar in the Guardian, Tuesday 6th April, entitled 'Lib Dems ducking the issue on railways'.

At this point you might ask 'Why does it matter what the Lib Dems say or think about the future of rail, as they will never be in power anyhow?' or even 'What has this got to do with the Woodhead line?' Patience, patience, all will be revealed in due course.

What struck me though was the very fact that the future of rail is being discussed so prominently during election fever season and also that there is some discussion about spending money on trains at the expense of roads, something that hasn't happened in decades. Promising. Promising.

The article is a response to the Lib Dem transport spokesman Norman Baker who wants to cut capital spending on roads by £3 billion and use it to expand the rail network by reopening thousands of miles of railway tracks and stations instead!

Here is a link to the said article by Mr Baker:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8603009.stm

There is also a short news video (1 min 17 secs) to be found on the same page as the above link, which is worth a minute of your time.

This is very interesting from a Woodhead point of view because when asked about which lines might be reopened he replies 'many of those that were closed down during the Beeching era, particularly those where the track bed has been protected by local authorities'. He is critical of the government's concentration on high speed trains and is much more interested in opening small sections of track that can have wider network benefits. Aah! I see the scales beginning to fall from your eyes oh nerdy ones.

Here's another slightly longer video link (3 mins 42 secs) : where Prof John Whitelegg, who apparently specialises in sustainable transport pours cold water on the plans, suggesting that the sums don't add up - but hey, isn't that why the Mottram-Tinsle bypass collapsed!?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_8603000/8603203.stm

If you go back to the Guardian article:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/apr/06/liberal-democrats-railway-plans

you will find that several comments have been posted from readers that have already made the connection, which I copy below. The first is by Monkeybummer (shouldn't be allowed) :-

"Re-open the Woodhead tunnels!

Get the freight off the A57 and A628 and back onto the railways, get the lorries out of the Peak District National Park, get rid of the bottleneck coming in and out of Manchester.

Personally I find it unacceptable that it currently takes a minimum of two hours to get from Glossop to Sheffield by public transport when they're only 25 miles apart.

I'm sure there are similar circumstances to this up and down the country. Invest in local railways!"

Here is a reply by Circlesonic:-

"Re-open the Woodhead tunnels!

As a bit of a train "buff" - and one who has an interest in the old Woodhead line - I'd be 100% with you on that point. Except, I'm sure you are aware of one of the main blocks to re-opening the Woodhead tunnels to rail traffic: the National Grid, who want to run high-voltage power cables through them (and in so doing, put the tunnels beyond rail use, perhaps for good).

Last I heard (c. 2008), the Government had given the green light to the NG to get started, so for all I know, we may be past the point of no return on this score (more's the pity). Ironic, given that until this morning, we've had one of the most pro-rail Transport Secretaries in office in years (Lord Adonis) - he kicked off the drive to electrify the London-Bristol line, but couldn't (wouldn't?) stop the Woodhead tunnels being put beyond rail use?

"Men and nations behave wisely once they've exhausted all other alternatives", indeed..."

and back to Monkeybummer:-

"Aye, I heard about the National Grid cable malarky. It seems like an excuse to me, because as you probably know there are three tunnels running through those hills, the two original ones and the larger one that was built in the 50s.

I don't understand why they can't put their cables in the old ones and re-open the newer one for trains. It was built for the first high-speed electric trains wasn't it? There's a plaque celebrating this in Piccadilly station. Perhaps there's a good reason why the cables can't go in the older tunnels, but I can't think of one."

So by now you will all have hopefully understood the potential significance of the debate to Woodhead but what of the significance of Norman Baker and his party?

Well, whilst the man currently in charge, Lord Adonis is good enough for me and certainly an improvement on his predecessors, there is also a chance that in the event of a hung Parliament and a two Party pact, that Norman Baker could just be the main man in Transport post-election. Just a thought.

Now it's over to you, trans-Pennine train lovers. Talk is cheap but comment is free.

NEXT MEETING...

You can get involved with the group at our next meeting at the Labour Club, Glossop, 7.30pm on Thursday 18th February 2010. We meet on the third Thursday of every month so March's meeting is 7.30pm on Thursday 18th March 2010.

Thanks to all who came to the Woodhead Christmas doo

We celebrated another year of the Woodhead campaign in December at the Glossop Labour Club. Heading the bill was Mossley's top singer songwriter Aidan Jolly and local duo Jack Crowshaw and Joanne James. We'll also had plenty of hot festive food and a challenging trainspotter's quiz. Thanks to everyone who came along and made it happen.

Woodhead Christmas doo!

We're celebrating another year of the Woodhead campaign at 8pm on Thursday 10th December 2009 at the Glossop Labour Club.

Heading the bill is Mossley's top singer songwriter Aidan Jolly as well as Glossop lad Jack Crowshaw. We'll also have a trainspotter's quiz and some nice hot food. Join us if you can, entry is free of charge.

NOVEMBER MEETING

You can get involved with the group at our next meeting at the Labour Club, Glossop, 7.30pm on Thursday 19th November 2009.

Woodhead walk update

Oil geologist and Peak-oil campaigner Tim Fairs is planning a geological/historical walk across the route of the Woodhead Tunnel sometime in the Spring. Last Sunday he did a test walk, here's an update of his plans...



"We walked the line of the tunnel in glorious autumnal sunshine - we did the walk in a loop from Woodhead using the pillars and airshafts as markers and it was good underfooot for the majority of the path, although we were advised by Bill that the final descent into Dunford Bridge was arduous, and so we cut it short and headed back.

Although much of the walk is across moorland, there are some quarries and outcrops which show the geology, which I'll now do some more research on to develop the geological story.

Emma suggested it would be interesting to talk about effects of the more recent glaciation and ice ages in carving the landforms and also to look at early man's settling of the land. Also, we agreed that stories about the building of the tunnel and other stories about the land (salt trail etc) would be good as well.

We also discussed the idea of trying to organise something at the end of the walk with the folk from Lifespan in Townhead.... Anyway, lots of ideas which we could discuss further at next Thursday's meeting.

October campaign meeting

The next meeting of Re-open the Woodhead Line will be 7.30pm, Thursday 15th October at the Labour Club, Glossop.

Come along if you can!

HIGH SPEED RAIL GROUP SIGNAL THE WAY FORWARD FOR WOODHEAD

Greengauge 21 has published a new report which recommends the construction of a high-speed (300 kph plus) rail network in the UK. This follows hard on the heels of Network Rail, which has recommended a West Coast route from London to Scotland with a loop off serving Manchester.

Greengauge is recommending the construction of high-speed lines in both the West Coast and East Coast corridors and here's the interesting bit for us, a connecting 200 kph (125 mph) line from Manchester to Sheffield. This would be based on the upgrading of existing lines.

The report does not make it clear whether they are talking about the Hope Valley route between Manchester and Sheffield or the Woodhead route but Woodhead would seem to be a strong contender as much of the route either carries very little traffic (Sheffield-Deepcar) or is currently disused. We must now wait for the Government's own company, HS2, to produce its own recommendations on the shape of a future high-speed network, due in the autumn.

Greengauge 21 is an organisation which was set up to lobby for high-speed rail in the UK. Its members are rail industry bodies and local authorities (including Sheffield City Region). The impetus for the formation of Greengauge 21 was the success of high-speed rail on the Continent, which has attracted many passengers away from air travel and helped regional economic development.

The UK currently has one high-speed line, from London St Pancras to the Channel Tunnel. The opening of the high- speed line, now dubbed "High Speed One" has helped Eurostar, the cross-Channel express passenger service operator, to improve its reliability and to attract many more passengers.

Re-open the Woodhead Line - LDF submission

‘Reopen the ‘Woodhead Railway Line Campaign’ have submitted a response to the consultation for the Peak District Local Development Framework.

It outlines our case for the Woodhead Rail Route with the relevant environmental, economic and social benefits the line would bring.

The full text can be read below....

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Re: Peak District National Park Authority Local Development Framework

I am writing on behalf of the ‘Reopen the ‘Woodhead Railway Line Campaign’ in response to the consultation for the Peak District Local Development Framework.

We are a group representing communities on the route, city and regions served by the route, and organisations with an interest in the development of the route.

We believe that opening the Woodhead Rail Route would make common sense as it would deliver enormous benefits including the following:

Reduced environmental impact on the National Park
Improved sustainable access to the Peak District National Park
Socio-Economic and Environmental Benefits for communities along the route
Socio-Economic and Environmental Benefits for the conurbations served at each end of the route
Improved logistical movement of people and goods across the North of England

The Consultation sets out options for adoption by the Peak District National Park Authority for its Local Development Framework. We wish for the continued adoption of Option T6.2 as set out in the consultation.

We would like the LDF to retain the strategies of

Safeguarding the Woodhead Tunnels for future rail use
Safeguarding the route between Dunford Bridge and Hadfield, likewise.

We believe that the rail route should be developable for a multi-purpose railway providing local services (improving links with local communities), longer distance services (improving Trans-Pennine accessibility) and freight services (enabling modal shift from road to rail reducing the impact of traffic).

To assist in the adverse impact of reinstatement on the National Park from re-instatement we would also like to see the LDF address the following issues:

Possible measures to preserve the Victorian tunnels so that the future use for rail travel along side or otherwise with electricity transmission is a possibility, and,
Development of potential alternative routeings for the Trans-Pennine Trail and other trails served by the line of the rail route.

Furthermore, we would argue that the re-opening of this rail route would represent “exceptional circumstances” as defined in Option T6.3. Not least of the “exceptional circumstances” being the adverse impacts of traffic and road, which are already affecting significant locations within the National Park.

If you could incorporate these issues into the LDF, you would be serving the interests of this wide group.

Yours Sincerely

Chris Bell
on behalf of the Re-Open Woodhead Group

SELRAP Autumn Conference

Our friends at SELRAP (the Skipton East Lancs Railway Action Partnership) are holding a conference on funding options for community rail.

It looks great, we'll be there if you'd like to join us?

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SELRAP Autum Conference

The study commissioned by SELRAP, and carried out by JMP Consulting in 2007, established that there is a strong business case for reopening the Skipton-Colne line. And within the Lancashire and Cumbria RUS, Network Rail states that the remaining obstacle to the reopening is funding. To be held on Friday November 6th at Herriots
Hotel, Skipton, SELRAP’s third major conference aims to help focus the minds of those who matter on the way forward for SELRAP.

Whilst SELRAP is at an early stage in organising this, our third major conference, our speaker list is firming up exceptionally quickly and, to date,
consists of the following:

Norman Baker MP: Lib Dem Shadow Secretary of State for Transport.
Stephen Hammond MP: Conservative Shadow Minister for Transport.
Adrian Shooter: Chairman Chiltern Railways.
Heidi Mottram: MD, or Paul Salveson: Head of Government and Community Strategies, Northern Rail.
Graham Botham: Commercial Scheme Sponsor, Network Rail.
Peter Frost: MD Kilbride Group (www.kilbridegroup.com).
Alan Beswick: Director JMP Consulting (www.jmp.co.uk).
Gordon Prentice MP: Pendle.
David Curry MP: Skipton.

The cost of attending this landmark conference is £20.00 for individuals and those representating voluntary organisations ..... and £50 for all others.

Lunch and refreshments are included in the price.
For more details, and to book your place, contact Peter Nowland, Delegate Coordinator, 3 Ivegate, Colne, Lancs., BB8 9QL. Tel: 07814 596297;
e mail: peterandedwina@googlemail.com

We're re-launching! Join our group for just £10 a year (£5 concessions) to support our work and have a say in how our group works. Subscribe here!

Re-open the Woodhead Tunnel exists:
To promote and support the re-instatement of an ideally electrified railway between Manchester and Sheffield via the Woodhead tunnel , that is open to all classes of traffic in order:

- To reduce the environmental impact of transporting people and freight across the Southern Pennines.

- To create a means of access to the northern half of the Peak District National Park for non-car users, cyclists and the disabled.

- To create improved access to employment opportunities in Yorkshire and Eastern England for the people of the eastern suburbs of Manchester and Longendale.

- To restore the competitiveness of trans-pennine rail passenger journey times.

- To make rail-freight a more attractive option by providing a more direct route between the ports on the eastern and western sides of the country.

- To provide more ready access to high speed rail passenger rail services between Eastern Scotland, London and continental Europe.

- To improve the reliability of southern trans-Pennine rail services by creating an alternative to the Hope Valley when that route is blocked.

Re-launch the Woodhead Tunnel!

At the last Save the Woodhead Tunnel meeting the group decided to rebrand the campaign, changing the emphasis from saving the tunnel to re-opening the line, becoming: "Re-open the Woodhead line"

Recent reports show this is a realistic possibility and we want the campaign to shift towards making that a reality.

We also decided to adopt a new constitution and to elect officers at the next meeting on Thursday 30th July 2009.

We're looking for a chair (to facilitate meetings), secretary (to ensure meetings and AGMs happen and minutes are circulated) and treasurer (to keep an eye on the bank account). It was felt that if no one was willing to take on these roles then the commitment to the campaign would be insufficient to continue and it would end.

So if you want to see the campaign continue and achieve our aim of a re-opened Woodhead line, come along to the next meeting on Thursday 30th July to the Prince of Wales Pub, Milltown, Glossop, and if possible stand as an officer - we need you!

Save the Woodhead Tunnel AGM

The Save the Woodhead Tunnel campaign has its Annual General Meeting at the Friends Meeting House in Mount Street, Manchester on Saturday, 23rd May 2009 @ 1.30 p.m.

At this meeting, group members will be voted to various committee posts. A constitution for the group needs to be formalised and then ratified. The constitution will enable us a group to apply for grants and charge a nominal membership fee (say £10 or £8 concession per year).

If you'd like to attend email savethewoodheadtunnel@gmail.com

Save the Woodhead Tunnel March newsletter

Launch of Save the Woodhead Tunnel Campaign in Yorkshire
At 3pm, Saturday 21st March 2009, Angela Smith, MP for Sheffield Hillsborough, will be speaking at the launch of the Woodhead Tunnel Yorkshire Campaign at the St Johns Community Centre, Penistone. Entrance is free to the event that includes buffet lunch and a showing of the vintage rail film, Electrics Across The Pennines. The campaign are asking local supporters, rail enthusiasts and environmentalists to turn out and show their support.

Local bypass scheme delayed
Many thanks to supporters of Save the Woodhead Tunnel campaign who made representations to 4NW asking for the Mottram-Tintwistle bypass to be delayed. Regional leaders announced last week that the scheme's funding will be delayed until at least 2015. The rejection of this road scheme only serves to highlight the importance of the Woodhead rail route and its potential roll in taking freight and passengers off the A628 road.

Next Save the Woodhead Tunnel campaign meeting
7.30pm this Thursday, 19th March 2009
Prince of Wales Pub, Glossop