Ivanhoe Line (Leicester-Burton)

[Doctor Fegg]

The Campaign for the Reopening of the Ivanhoe Line have posted a lengthy and interesting update on their Facebook page. (As it's billed as a "public update" I think it's fair to reproduce here.) I've bolded some of the key points.

We have been given clearance to give a public update on the work that's been going on with Network Rail and the reopening of the Ivanhoe Line.

You will recall that Network Rail received government funding from the Restoring Your Railway programme in June 2022 to further develop the Ivanhoe project and that this work is proceeding on schedule. This Development stage will conclude around the end of the year, with the selection of a preferred option and the production of an Outline Business Case. This will be considered by Network Rail and the Department for Transport to determine whether to allow the project to continue to the Design stage.

To put the work to reopen the line into context we must remember that the reopening would be funded by the government's Restoring Your Railways (RYR) Programme. This Programme has given us the first realistic opportunity in decades to have the line reopened. We are very well placed to benefit from the scheme because the case that we have presented is so compelling. But we must be realistic about our goals

To qualify for support from this program the proposed work must meet the government's parameters:

Successful schemes must be ready to start work on the ground before the next election. This means the detailed design work must be fully complete and costed. Also the benefits must be identified, quantified and clearly demonstrate that they meet the government's criteria. If all this isnt done and work cannot be started before the next election we will not be considered for funding,

The total budget for the whole programme is £500m. The Dartmoor line and the Northumberland line projects have already been funded from this budget.

To be successful in getting some passenger trains running on the Ivanhoe line using this precious opportunity we must make sure that our proposal complies with these parameters. If it does not then we will not get any passenger trains running on the line.

Part of the focus over the last 12 months by Network Rail has been on the application of Minimum Viable Product principles, revisiting the aims of the project and the target train service to best balance cost and benefits. This approach will maximise the chances of passenger trains running on the Line again.

As a result of this the project will now concentrate on connecting the key towns in the corridor at Coalville, Ashby and Swadlincote / Castle Gresley to Burton-on-Trent. Additionally, the project will aim to extend the service north to Derby to provide direct connectivity to job and education opportunities. Current thinking is for an initial hourly service in each direction from Derby to Coalville.

The benefits of getting to Leicester are not enough to justify the costs of the track work, at this time. And we have always been aware that the connection at Knighton to the mainline would rely on the proposed remodelling of Leicester mainline being completed, and that this would not be carried out within the RYR timeframes already described.

Whilst CRIL are very pleased that the railway to Coalville would be reopened to passengers under this project, our aim is to get services restored to Leicester main line station. CRIL fully supports this initial scheme, but we will continue to Campaign for a separate future project to complete the job. This would then be a much more attractive proposition when the results of the initial Ivanhoe service provide a concrete demonstration of the demand for rail travel along the corridor.

Experience on the two most recent passenger railway reopenings in the UK (The Borders Railway and the Dartmoor Line) has shown that the actual usage of the lines has greatly exceeded expectations. This together with the inevitable impetus to the lines credibility caused by trains actually running between Derby and Coalville will make it easier for CRIL to make the case for the to be extended to Leicester to the next government after the election.

CRIL will be carrying on campaigning for the full reopening and build on this initial opening, working with councils and politicians and the support of the public. We will be announcing more details on this Campaign through this page as we develop it during the autumn.

The plans for the locations of the stations at Coalville, Ashby and Gresley (for Swadlincote) have already been discussed with local councils. Network Rail have proposed several options of station designs to the local councils, and the selection of the best site will be decided through local consultation. The stations will be a minimalist design providing disabled access to the platform which will have a shelter, train indicator boards and ticket machines. As these will be relatively low cost additional stations could be built after opening when there is more time to build the cases and real usage data would be available to more accurately predict the demand for additional stations. CRIL would be keen to work with local communities (such as Drakelow and Moira/National Forest) to propose such extra stations.

There is a lot to digest here. We do have more detail to share with you about the proposal, the future new campaign, the station locations and how to demonstrate the essential local support needed to get this first stage over the line. We will do so through a series of posts on here over the next few weeks.

This is all very exciting news, tinged of course with sadness that we can't reopen the whole line in one step. However right from the very start of the Campaign we knew we could find ourselves in such a situation. We discussed it when the late Geoff Bushell was in the chair. He reminded us of several similar campaigns elsewhere which had refused the opportunity of a partial opening and are still waiting to get anything done for their communities. We agreed at that early stage that a partial opening would be a fantastic catalyst to getting passenger trains running on the whole line.

 

[Farigiraf]

Willington might finally get EMR!

 

[EIKN]

This sounds fantastic, does anyone please have a map and some kind of route marked out, as I'm in southwest Scotland, and unfamiliar with the line .
Also how far is the proposal from Leicester?, it does seem a little odd, that any government, would not want to connect a place as large as Leicester, to this line , as surely a link between Leicester and derby , would provide another fantastic cross country route , but also if done double track ( ideally to include passing loops for freight or ' stoppers ', to perhaps allow for express services , to encourage folk from theur cars , and frieght from the roads .
Because when all said and done the central part of the UK, has got a lot of congested roads , with no hope of funding new dual carriageway expressways or motorways , plus, at last it is as if, new/reopened railways, are more palatable than a road, that would just fill up within a decade of opening .
As Mrs Thatcher said, when opening a widened part of the then new M25 , " you can't build your way out of a jam ".
Also with Bimode trains, and more Train operators looking to renew flerts, electrifying new lines , could be an aspiration, from.the start , in sections or in future, once demand was proven.
It also shows Beeching was wrong . But that wasx never in doubt, when from.what I read , much of those closures , were based on data gathered on quiter days like a Tuesday , and at off peak hours .
Now 50-60 years later, with over subscribed roads, massive environmental damage , pollution and community seperation caused by roads .
New lines, can deliver a sizeable chuck of road traffic volume of folk using the roads , onto the railways .
With an added bonus of taking them direct to places of employment.
So again it seems odd they'd not finish this line to Leicester.
Does it cross any main lines? Like the Wcml or MML ? .

 

[Farigiraf]

Does it cross any main lines? Like the Wcml or MML ? .

CrossCountry main line (Edinburgh to Plymouth) at Burton and MML at Leicester

I wonder if it might serve Peartree too? Another station without a good service. Surprised EMR haven't thought of this earlier, They could earn some revenue for 2 stations which they manage but don't serve

 

[EIKN]

CrossCountry main line (Edinburgh to Plymouth) at Burton and MML at Leicester

I wonder if it might serve Peartree too? Another station without a good service. Surprised EMR haven't thought of this earlier, They could earn some revenue for 2 stations which they manage but don't serve

Then it seems all the more important to connect to Leicester, giving an extra cross country link between the MML and Cross country line

 

[Western Sunset]

Presumably, the initial focus is on the northern part due to the current lack of a direct chord into L'ter at Knighton.Good to see a more minimalist/pragmatic approach to station design, rather than the all singing/dancing over-engineered ones that have been de rigueur. Doubtless the single-line nature of the route helps; no expensive footbridges/lifts needed.
Sounds like the Tories want to show some actual "levelling-up" work in progress...

 

[snowball]

This sounds fantastic, does anyone please have a map and some kind of route marked out, as I'm in southwest Scotland, and unfamiliar with the line .
Also how far is the proposal from Leicester?, it does seem a little odd, that any government, would not want to connect a place as large as Leicester, to this line , as surely a link between Leicester and derby , would provide another fantastic cross country route , but also if done double track ( ideally to include passing loops for freight or ' stoppers ', to perhaps allow for express services , to encourage folk from theur cars , and frieght from the roads .

There are numerous websites that allow you to view OS maps, which show it as a currently operational line. It turns off the Midland Main line in the southern suburbs of Leicester but with a south-facing junction so not good for running to/from Leicester station. There are warehouses in the way of any potential chord. It then runs alternately west and NW through Coalville and Ashby-de-la-Zouch, touching the south side of Swadlincote and ends at Burton-on-Trent at a triangular junction with the Lichfield-Derby line.

 

[Meerkat]

Is this remotely viable?
Coalville is 38k, Ashby 16k. Swadlincote is 32k but the station site doesn’t look very convenient, particularly if going to nearby Burton.
Coalville is in the Leicester travel to work area, is Burton or Derby really a draw (is enough employment near enough to their stations rather than spread around the outskirts?)
Capacity at Burton must be restricted and NR won’t want local trains trundling all the way to Derby will they?

 

[Chester1]

This sounds fantastic, does anyone please have a map and some kind of route marked out, as I'm in southwest Scotland, and unfamiliar with the line .
Also how far is the proposal from Leicester?, it does seem a little odd, that any government, would not want to connect a place as large as Leicester, to this line , as surely a link between Leicester and derby , would provide another fantastic cross country route , but also if done double track ( ideally to include passing loops for freight or ' stoppers ', to perhaps allow for express services , to encourage folk from theur cars , and frieght from the roads .
Because when all said and done the central part of the UK, has got a lot of congested roads , with no hope of funding new dual carriageway expressways or motorways , plus, at last it is as if, new/reopened railways, are more palatable than a road, that would just fill up within a decade of opening .
As Mrs Thatcher said, when opening a widened part of the then new M25 , " you can't build your way out of a jam ".
Also with Bimode trains, and more Train operators looking to renew flerts, electrifying new lines , could be an aspiration, from.the start , in sections or in future, once demand was proven.
It also shows Beeching was wrong . But that wasx never in doubt, when from.what I read , much of those closures , were based on data gathered on quiter days like a Tuesday , and at off peak hours .
Now 50-60 years later, with over subscribed roads, massive environmental damage , pollution and community seperation caused by roads .
New lines, can deliver a sizeable chuck of road traffic volume of folk using the roads , onto the railways .
With an added bonus of taking them direct to places of employment.
So again it seems odd they'd not finish this line to Leicester.
Does it cross any main lines? Like the Wcml or MML ? .

Leicester and Derby are already linked by the MML! It makes sense to do Coalville to Burton first because its a fairly straight forward upgrade of track to passenger standards and 3-4 stations. The Leicester end is complicated and easily sufficient to sink the whole project. Its best to get a Coalville to Burton service up and running and then push to extend it. In addition to the land purchase required to restore the chord there is a desire by the powers that be to remodel the track layout in Leicester. The MML electrification is stopping at Wigston (the junction prior to the Ivanhoe line) and then restarting north of Leicester to avoid wasting money on electifying an area likely to be changed.

 

[EIKN]

There are numerous websites that allow you to view OS maps, which show it as a currently operational line. It turns off the Midland Main line in the southern suburbs of Leicester but with a south-facing junction so not good for running to/from Leicester station. There are warehouses in the way of any potential chord. It then runs alternately west and NW through Coalville and Ashby-de-la-Zouch, touching the south side of Swadlincote and ends at Burton-on-Trent at a triangular junction with the Lichfield-Derby line.

Hi thank you for the information and description of the route , I have a track atlas it's released yearly I think , so I will take a look, I'm guessing this is a freight line just now , it would need good sized passing loops for freight trains or ' stoppers ' to allow faster services to operate , to get maximum use and benefit for this line , it's good that it links derby , just to explain I asked about if anyone had or could draw a line on a map , as I suffer very bad brain fog due to Fybromyalgiea, which causes blurry vision , so I often struggle to pick out detail like a railway. , I wonder how big a job it would be to alter that south facing junction you mentioned at Leicester .
However in a rail magazine I thought I had read about some substantial works at Leicester in the near future .
Also how far is it from the two full running speed, double track heritage lines , where a few years ago they got a bridge supplied and rebuilt over the MML , wasn't the northern one supposed to link into Leicester station ?, I think it's called the great central railway , former mainline , point of that question is of they could make provision for that then , would it be such a huge task for a connection to Leicester .
That said I do take the point that the current scheme like the borders line , at least gets it built and will without doubt like all other reopening like oakhampton, prove the need for full restoration. That line, now has the section at tavistocknto bere Alston as next on that project , and again in the same rail magazine it stated that it would then be easier to make the case to fill the gap .
Much like Skipton to Colne .
The UK has so many possibilities to reopen lines, all of which seem far more useful than HS2 , that's no use without a connection to HS1 . Or Yorkshire and Crewe.
There really is no true joined up thinking , when it comes to the rail network.
And we really will need a lot of reopenings , as electric cars , are not the solution .
People will still need to travel , and as roads get worse , costs to drive get higher , the train really is the next best thing and can provide real benefits to the various areas that are planned.

 

[jfowkes]

It is very very stupid and dumb that perfectly sensible reopenings of passenger lines have to go through this kind of weird "please sir I'd like a railway" process. If Burton to Leicester is a good idea to open, then it should just be opened without the need for campaign groups to make the case for it.

Great that it's happening, but very silly way to go about it.

 

[Peterthegreat]

It is very very stupid and dumb that perfectly sensible reopenings of passenger lines have to go through this kind of weird "please sir I'd like a railway" process. If Burton to Leicester is a good idea to open, then it should just be opened without the need for campaign groups to make the case for it.

Great that it's happening, but very silly way to go about it.

Absolutely. A Johnson gimmick.

 

[172007]

Scratching my head here. Central Trains C150's had Ivanhoe on their destination blinds as an option, what where they for?

 

[Western Sunset]

Scratching my head here. Central Trains C150's had Ivanhoe on their destination blinds as an option, what where they for?

This possible reopening has rumbled on for decades...

 

[The Planner]

Is this remotely viable?
Coalville is 38k, Ashby 16k. Swadlincote is 32k but the station site doesn’t look very convenient, particularly if going to nearby Burton.
Coalville is in the Leicester travel to work area, is Burton or Derby really a draw (is enough employment near enough to their stations rather than spread around the outskirts?)
Capacity at Burton must be restricted and NR won’t want local trains trundling all the way to Derby will they?

One an hour isnt going to cause it to collapse. We manage to get 3000 tonne oil trains through.

 

[EIKN]

It is very very stupid and dumb that perfectly sensible reopenings of passenger lines have to go through this kind of weird "please sir I'd like a railway" process. If Burton to Leicester is a good idea to open, then it should just be opened without the need for campaign groups to make the case for it.

Great that it's happening, but very silly way to go about it.

Very well said , it's akin to the line in Oliver " please sir may I have some more ", at a time when it seems the government is trying to wean the public away from private car ownership, especially with the plan to ban fossil fuel vehicles in just over 5 years .
Electric cars won't be the answer as there is not the infrastructure, and it's clear the road building program is vastly reduced .
With only the terribly dangerous Only remaining dual carriageway section of the A1 in south Yorkshire, which will been converted to motorway, with the Doncaster by pass widened , the Stonehenge tunnel, completion of the A494, and the A428 upgrade that ironically shadows east west rail ( pointless if your trying to get Cars and trucks off the roads ).
So railways are coming full circle and are clearly needed.
In fact years ago when I still had my IT career , and I lived in York, we had a customer in Newcastle, when they called in an urgent response request, I'd always take the train , and they'd pick me up.
It was far quicker than the stress of the over used A1 to Newcastle. More comfy and relaxing .
Similarly when I lived in Callander, if I wanted a day trip to Edinburgh, I took the bus to Stirling and took the train, back then the 170's were still quite new , and they were so smooth and cheap compared to paying parking and again battling traffic
Nowadays traffic is way worse , more crazy rules , and so the train for me is far more attractive than sitting in a jam .
As less roads are built , as I said before more railways will be needed , as buses would just be stuck in those jams.
As you say it should not be this hard to restore lines .
Take the now official project to reopen the Buchan lines to Peterhead and frazerburgh, two of the largest most northerly places in northeast Scotland that are nowhere near a rail connection.
Lincolnshire is still debating Wisbech to march I think it is , and the costal line that Betchamen made the film of that ran along the north Norfolk coast .
There are many others I cannot think of , with my brain fog , one I think is in Shropshire, the name of that line escapes me .
The gaps in the Welsh networks , and the one Mile gap Blenau ffestiniog ( I may have that one wrong ) but I believe trains from the south stop and a mile further north the line continues up to the North Wales line .
It's a real lack of joined up thinking.
Rail links bring jobs , encourage growth , and supporting industries , that supply to the rail operators.
It was obvious, when the fossil fuel ban was in the cards , that rail travel would again become important, was obvious .
It's time for cros party collaboration to give us the network we deserve

 

[Farigiraf]

Scratching my head here. Central Trains C150's had Ivanhoe on their destination blinds as an option, what where they for?

The 3 stations between Leicester and Loughborough were reopened in the late 1990s as part of the Ivanhoe scheme, although I'm not sure how they link onto the Leicester-Burton line. Wikipedia page explains it.

 

[sharpley]

Scratching my head here. Central Trains C150's had Ivanhoe on their destination blinds as an option, what where they for?

Syston, Barrow and Sileby stations were branded as the Ivanhoe line during the Central Trains era

 

[Kettledrum]

This is a really sensible approach and all the thinking that has gone into this is to be commended. Of course, it's a shame that it isn't going all the way to Leicester (yet) but an incremental approach of Coalville to Derby is a very good start, and much more likely to get the funding and be deliverable.

Minimalist stations are also sensible too, otherwise costs will spiral.

The interchange at Burton with the cross country route (Birmingham to Derby line) opens up much wider travel opportunities and means that residents in Swadlincote, Ashby and Coalville will have an alternative to the M42.

I really hope that it gets funding - it has so much potential.

 

[cle]

Surely the real point of getting to Leicester is 60 minute London non-stop services, vs the more local demand which will always be better by bus, vs an hourly train.

Derby would be for points north. Burton for Birmingham itself, and beyond.

 

[Kettledrum]

Surely the real point of getting to Leicester is 60 minute London non-stop services, vs the more local demand which will always be better by bus, vs an hourly train.

Derby would be for points north. Burton for Birmingham itself, and beyond.

Tamworth also has some fast trains to London so changing at Burton and then Tamworth might be an option for Ashby and Castle Gresley travellers. I suspect the track configuration at Burton won't allow the trains to head south towards Tamworth and Birmingham, as well as the planned service North to Derby though.

 

[Meerkat]

It is very very stupid and dumb that perfectly sensible reopenings of passenger lines have to go through this kind of weird "please sir I'd like a railway" process. If Burton to Leicester is a good idea to open, then it should just be opened without the need for campaign groups to make the case for it.

Great that it's happening, but very silly way to go about it.

Can you explain your alternative?
come up with any old reopening idea, build it, and then send the Treasury the tab?

Absolutely. A Johnson gimmick.

It was a Johnson gimmick, patting campaigners on the head. Without it almost all these schemes would still be getting an official ignoring, rather than a pretence of interest.

 

[jfowkes]

Can you explain your alternative?
come up with any old reopening idea, build it, and then send the Treasury the tab?

Of course not, I just don't think which lines get the attention should be down to which are lucky enough to have a group of dedicated volunteers willing to fight for it.
There should be a value for money case demonstrated, but the government and DfT should be actively doing that, not asking others to do their homework. It's important national infrastructure and needs proper attention, not this "who can put together the best PowerPoint presentation" type of approach.

 

[Brush 4]

Exactly. It should be active Gov policy, not seen only as a drain on money. They (Treasury) focus on the negatives, entirely the wrong approach.

 

[70014IronDuke]

CrossCountry main line (Edinburgh to Plymouth) at Burton and MML at Leicester

I wonder if it might serve Peartree too? Another station without a good service. Surprised EMR haven't thought of this earlier, They could earn some revenue for 2 stations which they manage but don't serve

I doubt Network Rail wants to see many/any more services eating into route capacity for the meagre returns additional stops at Peatree would bring.

Then it seems all the more important to connect to Leicester, giving an extra cross country link between the MML and Cross country line

When it comes to Leicester passengers, I very much doubt that any future link offered by a re-opened Ivanhoe line would be faster to access XC services in either direction at Burton than the present 2TPH
offering via Derby.

Presumably, the initial focus is on the northern part due to the current lack of a direct chord into L'ter at Knighton.Good to see a more minimalist/pragmatic approach to station design, rather than the all singing/dancing over-engineered ones that have been de rigueur. Doubtless the single-line nature of the route helps; no expensive footbridges/lifts needed.
Sounds like the Tories want to show some actual "levelling-up" work in progress...

The northern section might be far cheaper to open, but I'd have thought the southern section would generate more traffic, and Leicester (and points south to London) be the preferred journeys if the line were to reopen - assuming some sort of reasonably smart answer could be found for accessing Leicester station. (And I wouldn't rule out some sort of reversing platform at Knighton to provide that.)

This is a really sensible approach and all the thinking that has gone into this is to be commended. Of course, it's a shame that it isn't going all the way to Leicester (yet) but an incremental approach of Coalville to Derby is a very good start, and much more likely to get the funding and be deliverable.

Personally, I would fear the opposite. If only the Coalville to Burton (and onto Derby) section were opened, I would worry that passenger numbers would not meet the forecasts, and that would kill the chances of reopening to Leicester.

The interchange at Burton with the cross country route (Birmingham to Derby line) opens up much wider travel opportunities and means that residents in Swadlincote, Ashby and Coalville will have an alternative to the M42.

I really hope that it gets funding - it has so much potential.

Not if pax from those towns have to change at Burton to access the West Midlands, I fear.

 

[Western Sunset]

70014 Iron Duke wrote:
"The northern section might be far cheaper to open, but I'd have thought the southern section would generate more traffic, and Leicester (and points south to London) be the preferred journeys if the line were to reopen - assuming some sort of reasonably smart answer could be found for accessing Leicester station. (And I wouldn't rule out some sort of reversing platform at Knighton to provide that."

I agree. Coalville and Ashby have a greater connection with L'ter than Burton and Derby. Swad looks more to Burton though.
Ironically, there was a direct line between Ashby and Derby, but that closed to passengers in the 1930s. Maybe 100 years later there might be through services between those two places. I live in hope...
I think they've looked at reinstating a direct chord at Knighton - doable (anything is with the £££) - but a reverse at Knighton Sth Jn is the more likely initial option.

 

[The Planner]

I doubt Network Rail wants to see many/any more services eating into route capacity for the meagre returns additional stops at Peatree would bring.

If it works in the timetable and there isn't something that clearly demonstrates a drop in performance or stops a strategic aim, NR can't reject it.

Not if pax from those towns have to change at Burton to access the West Midlands, I fear.

Depends on the connection, time it correctly at Burton and why wouldn't people use it to go south? Connect into the 0738 or 0752 and you are in Brum by 0830.

 

[Meerkat]

It's important national infrastructure and needs proper attention,

A local train service is not national infrastructure. It is local government who understand better what is needed.
And I don’t think your way would get the result you are looking for.
Currently local campaigners kick up a fuss, councillors and MPs have to support it for PR reasons, government has to indulge them.
Your way - meeting in DfT looking at possible reopenings
”What about Burton- Leicester?”
”ha ha , good one, anyway…anyone got something vaguely reasonable?”

 

[Western Sunset]

DfT - "Is Coalville up north somewhere?"

 

[jfowkes]

Currently local campaigners kick up a fuss, councillors and MPs have to support it for PR reasons, government has to indulge them.
Your way - meeting in DfT looking at possible reopenings
”What about Burton- Leicester?”
”ha ha , good one, anyway…anyone got something vaguely reasonable?”

I think my basic point is that either a reopening is sensible or it isn't.

If it's sensible, it shouldn't need a campaign. A sane government should just say "yeah we're doing this in 202x, here's the money, NR and TOCs etc start your planning".

If it isn't sensible, the campaign group shouldn't be indulged just because they make enough noise.

I realise the DfT don't care, that's actually what I'm complaining about. That we're forced to make them care.