‘Is this just a publicity stunt?' - Readers have their say following announcement that Fleetwood to Poulton rail line could re-open

Transport minister Grant Shapps pledged to get moving “very fast” on plans to re-open the Fleetwood to Poulton railway line as he visited the Fylde.

He said the line, which closed in 1970, would be the first to be restored as part of proposals to reconnect tracks axed during the 1960s.

It follows a promise made by Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a visit to Thornton station on the same line during the General Election campaign. A £100,000 feasability study will now be carried out.

We asked for your views on the proposals and here is a selection from our Facebook page.

"Whilst the efforts of the local heritage people is brilliant, better use to dig it up and make it a cycle path for all; be more widely used and we won’t be hanging around for another 15 years.... also at least a third of the Fleetwood line has gone to roads, Freeport etc??"

James Wilson

"For what? A heritage railway that will only run at Easter and during the school summer holidays , and only then on a Saturday & Sunday .Maglev train this is not."

Neil Taylor

"Here we go again...massive upheaval, a tonne of mess & nothing to show at the end of it just like the Talbot Rd fiasco."

Sharon Gregory

"I find it difficult to believe that sufficient numbers of Fleetwood people really want to go regularly to Poulton, though I do understand this would enable them to go to other destinations by train. It’s already easy to get to Blackpool by tram and maybe, one day the tram will even go to North Station. Similarly with the journey the other way. Primarily, it would have to be shown to be financially viable to justify the huge infrastructure investment required and then the ongoing running costs - is this really likely to happen?"

Dave Nuttall

"If it was to link two major business hubs then yeah crack on but it isn’t and like you said - there’s already trams."

Craig Pearce

"And if you believe that, you’ll believe anything."

Kelly Powell

"What’s the point.

John Worthington

"100k... well that will hire the digger for the amount of time it will take. Renting equipment one piece at a time lol."

Ash Paul

"There is little doubt that Fleetwood needs to have access to a local railway line as this could start to transform its fortunes. However, offering £100,000 for a feasibility study is not going to get us very far. Is this just a publicity stunt or is the Government serious about reconnecting towns and villages which have been left without a proper public transport infrastructure?"

Helen Dempster

"Personally, I can’t wait. The Beeching cuts were an absolute nightmare - cutting communities off. Re-opening the line would open up opportunities - that’s got to be a good thing."

Martin Butterworth