A party of rail enthusiasts was leaving Skipton by train today for a vital meeting with MPs in London to press the long-supported case for the re-opening of the 11-mile Skipton-Colne railway line.

Representatives of SELRAP – the Skipton-East Lancs Rail Action Partnership – are meeting with rail minister Chris Mole to urge him to re-open the line, which means that passengers from North Yorkshire wishing to travel to Manchester, Liverpool and other major North West towns would not have to start their journeys by going east via Leeds.

Also in attendance will be MPs from all three major parties who support the plan.

Many people believe that the line was closed during the notorious Dr Beeching cuts ordered in 1963. In fact, Beeching allowed the lINE to stay open – but it was closed a few years later in what is now believed to have been a mistake at British Rail when someone misread the plans.