Given the day's events, the journos weren't interested in these new lines.
Given that Grant Shapps was doing the press conference today, one assumes that he was lined up to announce this, but Mr Cummings’ unfortunate situation got in the way.
On this website for the last few years or so, there has been long discussions on the reopening of the Colne to Skipton line, with both freight and passenger traffic being discussed. Would there be any reason why that particular aspiration has not appeared on this new list?
Because it is, always has been, and always will be, an absolute basket case of a scheme.
I just fear that the "reversing Beeching" schtick is to *sound* like more stuff is being done than it actually is. Appealing to people who like the idea of reopenings without any real idea of the costs (usually under-egged by supporters) against benefits (usually over-egged)
‘Reversing Beeching’ is targeted at two audiences, one far more important than the other.
1) local campaigners and enthusiasts who want to (re)open lines, a frankly very small number of people
2) those who remember Beeching, and the controversy back then, who might be persuaded that undoing the ‘wrongs’ of 55 years ago is part of the agenda to take back control of the country, when the summers were always sunny, everyone had a job, everything worked perfectly, and there were no ‘forriners’ around to spoil things.
The work on this aspiration is more advanced than the Strategic Outline Business Case, so their funding requirements are more substantial. It should be announced as part of a different funding pot.
It really isn’t. To get to a decent SOBC for this sort of project would cost not less than £3m. Notwithstanding what might be being said.