Furness Line Study Progresses - Press Release
The Railway Consultancy Ltd
The Furness Line Community Rail Partnership has appointed the Railway Consultancy of London, led by Dr Nigel Harris, to undertake a study into the future train service on the Furness Rail Line between Lancaster and Barrow-in-Furness. This follows a call from public and private sector organisations who attended the Cumbria Better Connected conference held in Barrow in January where concern was expressed about diminishing train services and funding was pledged for a study to provide evidence to support enhanced services.
Concerns about the future pattern of services on the line have arisen from recent timetable changes involving further loss of through services to Manchester Airport from Barrow, and changes that may come following the Dept. of Transport’s refranchising of train operators from February 2016. The study will report in early summer, in time to feed its results into the pre-franchising consultation process.
The Community Rail Partnership is keen to hear comments and suggestions about the adequacy of rail services and facilities on the line to feed into the study process. It is proposed that two or three workshops or “drop-ins” will be held at points along the line during the course of the study that will be open for local users to feed in their views and opinions. If you would like to be invited to one of these – or otherwise to let us have your views, whether as an existing or would-be rail user, please email us on furnessline@yahoo.co.uk also giving us the name of your nearest station.
Peter Robinson, chairman of the Community Rail Partnership said, “We are very keen to hear views about rail services on the Furness Line, how people depend on them, how they would use them more if improved, why they don’t use them. The fuller the picture the study can get about present and hidden potential use, the better the case will be for improved services - and perhaps for eventual electrification of the line.”
ENDS
For more information please contact Furness Line Community Rail Partnership:
Peter Robinson, Chairman pwr@clara.net 01539 534 842
Jim Trotman, Project Officer dj-trotman@hotmail.co.uk
or visit our website furnessline.co.uk
Information for Editors
The Furness Line Community Rail Partnership was formed in 2010 and formally designated by the Department for Transport in June 2012. The partnership consists of the rail operators, First TransPennine Express and Northern Rail, Cumbria County, Barrow Borough and South Lakeland District Councils together with the Furness Line Action Group (FLAG) the line user group, and other stakeholders. It is committed to working together to promote and develop services over the railway between Lancaster and Barrow-in-Furness.
The Railway Consultancy is a specialist railway planning company who work all over the UK, as well as internationally, on both commercial and operational railway planning issues. See www.railwayconsultancy.com
Last updated: Friday, 4th January 2013
https://www.railwayconsultancy.com/press-releases/prfurness.php
© 1996-2025 The Railway Consultancy Ltd