Peak railway public meeting

The Manchester & East Midlands Rail Action Partnership (MEMRAP) has arranged a public meeting to take place on Wednesday 19 April, from 6.30pm, which will give the general public the chance to hear about and comment on the organisation’s stated objectives to upgrade 23 miles and reinstate 13 miles of railway to, once again, link Matlock to Buxton by rail, via Bakewell.

The event will take place as follows:

Peaks & Dales Line Public Meeting
Town Hall
Chapel-en-le-Frith
SK23 0HP

Date: Wednesday 19 April
Time: 6:30 PM
Cost: Free [click here to reserve your tickets securely online]

MEMRAP’s aim is to: “Re-connect communities across the Peak District National Park left isolated by the disastrous and short-sighted Beeching Report.”

If the plans get the go-ahead it would see a “rail plus trail” travel scheme which could result in the Derby to Manchester service being restored, which was axed in 1968.

The campaign group argue that their plans would help “catalysing the economy across Derbyshire, delivering new jobs and growth” and would be looking at the “re-provisioning the fabulous Monsal Trail and connecting it to stations along the reinstated railway, ensuring that visitors can continue to enjoy this spectacular attraction within the Peak District National Park.”

By implementing the plans, MEMRAP would expect that an increasing number of the 13.25m annual visitors (source: PDNPA) to the Peak District National Park would travel by train, reducing environmental impact and boosting economic benefit.

The reinstated and improved lines would also help to reduce the number of HGVs on the heavily-used but narrow and winding roads of the Peak District and would relieve the pressure on the seriously congested Hope Valley line (serving Sheffield and Manchester, and stations beyond).

For more information about MEMRAP visit their website