'Fight will go on' for better Fylde train services after government scraps Restoring Your Railway Fund

Currently, only one train an hour can run between Blackpool South and Preston, because of a stretch of single-line track along the South Fylde route. It also means that any blockages of that line result in cancellations and delays for passengers.

A bid was submitted to the previous government's Restoring Your Railway Fund almost three years ago for the cash needed to create a so-called ‘passing loop’. That would allow half-hourly services to be introduced at stations for Kirkham and Wesham, Moss Side, Lytham, Ansdell and Fairhaven, St. Annes-on-the-Sea and Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

>» Sign up for our free newsletter here.

A decision had yet to be made by the last Conservative administration over whether to grant funding for the scheme from the nationwide £500m pot - but now the new Labour government has scrapped it altogether. It was one of the spending cuts announced by the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, on Monday in order to help fill the “£22bn hole” she said the Tories had left in the nation’s finances.

“We had two-and-a-half years of silence from the previous government - and I think we deserved better than that. But then the new government’s decision is disappointing as well,” said Richard Watts, chair of the Community Rail Lancashire (CRL) group.

The Treasury has said individual Restoring Your Railway projects will be considered as possible standalone schemes through a review to be carried out by the transport secretary. However, it is unclear whether the passing loop project will be included in that process, given that there has not been any response to the strategic outline business case submitted by Fylde Council in November 2021.

Nevertheless, Richard says the strength of the argument for upgrading the line is undeniable - and he told The Gazette that CRL had no intention of “abandoning” the vision for the loop.

“I've been on the network today and the trains to Blackpool South are very busy, because it’s now peak holiday time and the Pleasure Beach is obviously a key attraction - so two-car trains every hour really don't [cut] it.

“We need the enhanced frequency of service - and the case is self-evident when you travel along the line - so we need to find a way of pushing that point.

“We will await the next steps and take part in whatever review is undertaken, but in the meantime we’ll also look at how we might be able to progress the loop in other ways - and just keep the conversation going,” Richard added.

Although admitting to being slightly “more pessimistic” on the prospect of the project ever now coming to pass, Tony Ford, chair of the South Fylde Line Community Rail Partnership, told The Gazette he shared the sentiment about continuing to fight for it.

“As well as a half-hourly service, the other big benefit of the loop would be the potential for trains to be able to get past any disruption along the line - such as [that caused by] a trespasser or [another] train.

“At the moment, you've got to get one train off the branch [line] before you can let one on. With the loop, they could have got [a train] to Ansdell, which I think was going to be the link point - and so [services] would have only been delayed for a few minutes, rather than for a long time.

“Also, there's so much new housing development on the Fylde - thousands of new houses have been built all along the line. There are two big estates around Wrea Green and three or four estates around Kirkham and Wesham - so the line has a lot of potential for growth,” Tony explained.

The outline business case set out a range of problems with the current South Fylde line set up - including “frequent cancellations and part cancellations” and “long journey times”. The trip from Blackpool South to Preston takes around 35 minutes on a clear run.

The document noted that there was a “dependence on the car” amongst South Fylde residents as a result of the challenges of using the railway.

For the new Conservative MP for Fylde, Andrew Snowden, the passing loop would give a government of any political colour plenty of “bang for its buck”. The cheapest of the potential design options for the project would have come in at around £24m, the constituency’s last MP, Mark Menzies, told the Commons late last year.

“It's not something I'll give up pushing for,” Mr. Snowden told The Gazette. “It’ll still remain an absolute priority, because, firstly, it is needed and, secondly, in rail terms, it is very affordable for what would be quite a significant improvement in connectivity between two key employment and visitor areas within Lancashire.

“Connecting sites around the defence sector [is important] - it’s the biggest employer in Fylde and one of the biggest growth areas in Lancashire, jobs-wise, between BAE and the Cyber Force HQ [coming to Samlesbury].

“So the case really does stack up…and [the decision to cancel Restoring Your Railway] is really annoying and frustrating”, Mr. Snowden added.

However, Kim Snape, transport spokesperson for the opposition Labour group on Lancashire County Council, blamed the situation on the previous Conservative government for committing “£800 million on unfunded transport projects across the next year”.

“This means we will not be going ahead with rail projects that the Tories said would happen - but there was no money for them.

“The Labour government will be pressing ahead on their manifesto commitment to transform public transport by bringing rail back into public ownership, County Cllr Snape added.