Carnforth station bids for mainline return

The Lancashire railway station featured in the film Brief Encounter should be added to the West Coast Mainline, a Conservative MP has told parliament.

David Morris said adding Carnforth to the route would boost the local economy.

Mr Morris, MP for Morecambe and Lunesdale, said the local community would raise funds for the project.  The station, which was restored in 2003, was last used as a mainline stop in 1970.  It was reopened as a refreshment room and visitor centre by the local community.

In a Commons debate, Mr Morris said stations like Carnforth could be added to the mainline if high-speed rail was brought to northern England.

He said trains currently stop at Carnforth in the morning and evening for cleaning, but no passengers are allowed on.

He added: “We will raise our own funds for our project – that is unheard of but we can do this.  “We’ve already rebuilt the station from a shell and we can relay the platforms.  This is the Big Society in its highest form – to integrate with an infrastructure network that has been serving our country for over 100 years.”

Transport minister Norman Baker said it was vital to consider whether a stop at Carnforth would work “operationally and commercially”.

He added: “Initial analysis from the department suggests that a call at Carnforth would require a stop at another station to be deleted, so a potential gain at Carnforth would result in a disbenefit to passengers at other stations along the route.”

He also warned that overall journey times would be increased by five minutes.

The historic station was made famous in the 1945 romantic film starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard.

Review to be published into government’s £32bn HS2 plan

From BBC News.

An independent review of the £32bn HS2 London to Birmingham high-speed rail project is to published.

The House of Commons transport committee announced it had asked a consultancy firm to look into the business case for the scheme.

The review will be published on Tuesday, when the committee holds the first of five evidence sessions on HS2.

The first phase of HS2, from London to Birmingham, is due to be open in 2026, with extensions further north later.

A Y-shaped section taking branches to Manchester, Leeds and possibly further north could be finished by 2033.

The chairman of the committee, Labour MP Louise Ellman, said: “The review is a guide for us. We felt we needed it. This is a project of great importance and also of great controversy.”

HS2 is a central facet of the coalition government’s transport policy and was touted as an alternative to the third runway at Heathrow when the government scrapped it following last year’s election.

The review looked at the overall business case rather than the details of the route, which passes through several beauty spots as well as a large swathe of suburbs in north-west London.

A total of 190 organisations have submitted evidence to the committee but Transport Secretary Philip Hammond is not expected to answer questions until 13 September.