Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of re-opening the rail link between Skipton and Colne.

We expect to receive the outputs of the further feasibility work soon, to complement the initial Strategic Outline Business Case completed in December 2018. These will inform the Government’s decision as to whether a reinstatement scheme should progress to the ‘develop’ stage of the Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline.

This is part of our new approach to rail enhancements to ensure we address the needs of passengers and freight, and that funding commitments appropriately reflect the stage of development of schemes.