Information on Loughborough

Cabinet considers rail report

Posted on 28/08/2009

Leicestershire Councty Council Cabinet Office

28 August 2009

Cabinet considers rail report

Reintroducing a Leicester-Burton railway service would cost £50 million and require a £4 million subsidy every year, a County Council report reveals.

Leicestershire County Council commissioned consultants Scott Wilson to look at the possibility of upgrading the Leicester-Coalville-Burton freight line, building stations and reintroducing a passenger service, in the light of housing developments proposed for the area.

The report says:

  • It would cost £50 million to upgrade the line and build stations, to enable a passenger service to be reintroduced
  • A major problem would be access to Leicester station, as a new, northern chord line would have to be built from the Burton line at Knighton, involving demolition and relocation of some businesses
  • The service would require an annual subsidy of £4 million
  • The likely income from passengers would be £548,000 per year
  • An extra 268,000 houses would have to be built, to generate enough patronage to make the line cost effective
  • A recent study by the Association of Train Operating Companies came up with very similar conclusions on costs

A report to the Council’s ruling Cabinet advises members to agree that, although reintroducing a passenger service is “a valid long-term aspiration”, it is not something the Council should be pursuing, due to the likely financial impact.

Lesley Pendleton, Cabinet member for transport, said: “We would all like to see passenger services reintroduced through the heart of north west Leicestershire and the National Forest – but, sadly, we have to accept that it’s too much for Council Taxpayers to be able to afford.”

The Cabinet will discuss the report at 2.30pm on September 8th.