Graham Stuart, MP for Beverley and Holderness, has called for continued political momentum on his latest bid to restore the stretch of track connecting Beverley and York in order to shore up local support for the scheme.
In January 2020, shortly after the 2019 general election, the Government pledged an initial £500 million to help reverse the sweeping Beeching cuts of the 1960s, during which time just short of 5,000 miles of rail line were closed to save money.
Just shy of 200 bids have been submitted across three rounds of funding, the latest of which closed on 5th March. Included in these bids is a proposal to restore the 32-mile rail line running between Beverley and York, which has been submitted by the Minsters Rail Campaign and was sponsored by local MP Graham Stuart.
The bid is now being considered by an expert panel including the Rail Minister, Chris Heaton-Harris MP, and the Chair of Network Rail, Sir Peter Hendry, with a view to announcing the successful bids in the summer.
Ahead of this, Graham is calling for those in favour of Beverley-York rail to club together and demonstrate their support to the Department for Transport ahead of their decision.
Graham said, “We’ve bounced back stronger than ever from the disappointment of missing out in the second round of funding, with internationally-renowned engineering firm AECOM joining to help with the bid.
“Councils and MPs of all parties along the line have supported the bid, recognising that restoring this stretch of track could help to ease congestion on the A1079, boost tourism and job opportunities for our constituents, and deliver more east-west services.
“I want to keep those involved working together closely so that we can show the Government that the appetite is there for this major project, which will require collaborative efforts for many years to come if it’s successful at this stage.”
The funding bid has been supported by MPs in both Hull and York as well as the East Riding, including Dame Diana Johnson, Emma Hardy, Julian Sturdy and Rachael Maskell. It is also being supported by East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Hull City Council and the City of York Council.
Success in the Government fund would mean the Department for Transport covering up to 75% of the costs of carrying out extensive transport and economic studies so that a comprehensive business case can be created.
