An impressive 222 local council now back the campaign to re-open a vital 11-mile rail link between North Yorkshire and North West England, the Skipton and East Lancs Railway Partnership (SELRAP) announced yesterday.

The 11-mile stretch of line between Skipton and Colne was closed – allegedly because of a map-reading error by British Railways staff – in the 1960s although the notorious Dr Beeching cuts of thousands of miles of line recommended it be kept open.

It means that people wanting to travel west to Manchester, Liverpool or other major towns in the North West from North Yorkshire must first travel east to change trains in Leeds. This can add 90 minutes or even more to the average journey time, depending on connections.

Said SELRAP: “Across the North of England from Appleby to Ripponden, Windermere to Sheffield, Blackpool to Hull and Ripon to Chester, 222 Councils now support the reinstatement of the missing rail link that would reunite many communities by rail in a sensible journey time.”

The campaign also has the support of 126 business organisations, 121 NGOs, 150 MPs, 38 MEPs and 57 Peers.

For more information, see www.selrap.org.uk or write to Roy St Pierre, 1 The Croft, Hollin Hall, Trawden, Colne, Lancs BB8 8SS for a newsletter.