| Leicestershire councillor says bid to restore Ivanhoe rail line is 'dead' Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 17:20, 5th February 2026 |     |
From the BBC:
Councillor says bid to restore rail line is 'dead'
[Image from here is not available to guests]
The railway still runs through towns like Coalville, but does not carry passenger trains
A councillor has said a campaign to restore a passenger rail link through the Midlands has no future.
Funding to restore the Ivanhoe line, which connects Leicester and Burton-upon-Trent through North West Leicestershire and South Derbyshire, was withdrawn after the Restoring Your Railway scheme was scrapped following a change in government in 2024.
Reform councillor Adam Tilbury, Leicestershire County Council's cabinet member for highways, transport and waste said despite decades of campaigning, the project is "dead" and unlikely to acquire support from the current Labour government.
Amanda Hack, Labour MP for North West Leicestershire, raised the issue in a debate in Westminster last week.
Referring to Hack's comments in parliament, Tilbury told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "Her concerns have fallen on deaf ears unfortunately. We are massively in debt as a country. There is no appetite for it. I don't think it's going to happen in this government's lifetime - it's dead really."
The Ivanhoe line used to connect Leicester with Burton, but closed down as part of the infamous Beeching cuts in the 1960s.
Tilbury said it was "ridiculous" there were currently no passenger routes to link commuters in these areas. "People with no car could go to high paying jobs and bring money back into the area. It's very frustrating. Leicestershire County Council always seems to be at the back of the queue. We have got all the investment coming in around the area but no transport links. We've been promised a rail link for years. We just want the same transport links everyone else has in the country," he said.
Following the debate in Westminster, Hack said: "We want to keep putting the pressure on to get this line up and running for passenger traffic as soon as possible." She said the line would also be beneficial in terms of providing greener transport options for the area.
"Currently, 99 per cent of visitors to local attractions like Conkers travel by car. A train link would provide a greener alternative to reduce carbon emissions and encourage more sustainable travel. It could even be branded the 'National Forest Line', which has a nice ring to it. There is no doubt in my mind, nor in the minds of local people, that restoring passenger rail is a priority," Hack added.
A Network Rail-backed business case to reinstate the line had been with the former Conservative government with hopes work could start in 2024. However, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the Treasury needed to find £5.5bn of savings in 2024 and a further £8.1bn in 2025.
[Image from here is not available to guests]
The railway still runs through towns like Coalville, but does not carry passenger trains
A councillor has said a campaign to restore a passenger rail link through the Midlands has no future.
Funding to restore the Ivanhoe line, which connects Leicester and Burton-upon-Trent through North West Leicestershire and South Derbyshire, was withdrawn after the Restoring Your Railway scheme was scrapped following a change in government in 2024.
Reform councillor Adam Tilbury, Leicestershire County Council's cabinet member for highways, transport and waste said despite decades of campaigning, the project is "dead" and unlikely to acquire support from the current Labour government.
Amanda Hack, Labour MP for North West Leicestershire, raised the issue in a debate in Westminster last week.
Referring to Hack's comments in parliament, Tilbury told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "Her concerns have fallen on deaf ears unfortunately. We are massively in debt as a country. There is no appetite for it. I don't think it's going to happen in this government's lifetime - it's dead really."
The Ivanhoe line used to connect Leicester with Burton, but closed down as part of the infamous Beeching cuts in the 1960s.
Tilbury said it was "ridiculous" there were currently no passenger routes to link commuters in these areas. "People with no car could go to high paying jobs and bring money back into the area. It's very frustrating. Leicestershire County Council always seems to be at the back of the queue. We have got all the investment coming in around the area but no transport links. We've been promised a rail link for years. We just want the same transport links everyone else has in the country," he said.
Following the debate in Westminster, Hack said: "We want to keep putting the pressure on to get this line up and running for passenger traffic as soon as possible." She said the line would also be beneficial in terms of providing greener transport options for the area.
"Currently, 99 per cent of visitors to local attractions like Conkers travel by car. A train link would provide a greener alternative to reduce carbon emissions and encourage more sustainable travel. It could even be branded the 'National Forest Line', which has a nice ring to it. There is no doubt in my mind, nor in the minds of local people, that restoring passenger rail is a priority," Hack added.
A Network Rail-backed business case to reinstate the line had been with the former Conservative government with hopes work could start in 2024. However, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the Treasury needed to find £5.5bn of savings in 2024 and a further £8.1bn in 2025.
I do love these emotive lines from current journalists:
The Ivanhoe line used to connect Leicester with Burton, but closed down as part of the infamous Beeching cuts in the 1960s.
CfN. [Image from here is not available to guests]
