After decades of campaigning, the man behind plans to restore the Keswick to Penrith railway says he finally detects a change of mood among national decision-makers that could turn his dream to reality and bring back trains to the North Lakes.
Cedric Martindale’s upbeat message came after four Cumbrian Conservative MPs, including Keswick’s Trudy Harrison, supported a bid to their own Government’s Department for Transport (DfT) for the long lamented train line to be reinstated.
The bid was submitted by Allerdale Borough Council and CKP Railways Ltd, of which Mr Martindale is a director, and the DfT has since confirmed it will work with partners including those two organisations to develop the application to enable access to essential funding for what is a multi-million pound project.
“This is the first time the DfT has actively invited submissions and the positive reception for the Keswick to Penrith Railway Project is extremely gratifying,” Mr Martindale told the Keswick Reminder.
He said MPs had been briefed in March this year and asked to submit expressions of interest and a detailed case for inclusion in the Government’s Ideas Fund. He added: “This bid is notable in having the support of four MPs – most were only backed by one.”
A team of parliamentary assistants and staff from Allerdale had produced the bid documents, using data and knowledge from CKP Railways, to successfully communicate the idea to the DfT. From 60 nationwide bids, the one for the Keswick to Penrith track was among just 10 selected by the DfT to be taken forward immediately to the next stage.
Mr Martindale said: “The pro-active approach from the DfT is totally new. In the past it would simply process applications for powers to build railways away from the big cities and seek comments from stakeholders.
“CKP Railways has kept this project alive for 25 years knowing that it will have tremendous benefits for the North Lakes population as a whole, increasing freedom of movement for everybody and supporting tourism and other businesses while tackling environmental issues such as road congestion. Finally the political climate seems to be right to bring this project to life.”
Besides the cost, cynics have often queried where the re-born route would run as it has been abandoned since the closure in 1972 of the Keswick-Penrith section, which included stops at Threlkeld, Troutbeck, Penruddock and Blencow. Part of it is now the Keswick to Threlkeld path for walkers and cyclists. The stretch between Keswick and Cockermouth shut in 1966 and had stations at Embleton, Bassenthwaite Lake and Braithwaite.
Mr Martindale gave this assurance: “The railway would generally return on its original alignment. All the work done by the Lake District National Park Authority for the current path re-instatement has borne in mind the eventual return of the railway, so that there would be a minimum of re-work.”
Mrs Harrison, the MP for Copeland, joined fellow Tories Neil Hudson (Penrith & The Border), Mark Jenkinson (Workington) and John Stevenson (Carlisle) in supporting the plan, which is also backed by Cumbria Tourism. She said: “It is great to see the progression of the Keswick to Penrith railway submission. The reopening of this line would provide an exciting opportunity for our county and connecting these two towns by public transport would make a world of difference for both local people and tourists, allowing for a link between two beautiful areas of Cumbria.”
Cllr Mike Johnson, Allerdale Borough Council’s deputy leader, said: “This is obviously very positive news from the Government and they clearly feel there is some merit in further discussions on the reinstatement of the railway between Keswick and Penrith. Our team here at Allerdale have already played a key role in getting to where we are today and we’ll continue to support our partners in this to do what we can to keep this project moving forward.”
