Briefing on the Reinstatement of the Beverley to York Rail Line
Briefing on the Reinstatement of the Beverley to York Rail Line (updated 20 April 2020)
Overview Hull and Beverley are linked with Market Weighton, Pocklington, Stamford Bridge and York by the increasingly congested A1079. The Minsters Rail Campaign believes that the former 32-mile Beverley to York “Minsters” rail line (closed in 1965), which branched off the existing Hull-Scarborough line at Beverley and served these places, should be reinstated. This will contribute substantially to the longterm economic and social future of the East Riding, improving public transport, reducing car dependency and encouraging sustainable development. It will also be an alternative link from Hull and the East Riding to the rest of the rail network, needed because the existing rail infrastructure serving Hull lacks resilience. Regionally, the line will form a much-improved rail link between East and North Yorkshire, thus contributing to rail connectivity as envisaged by Transport for the North. A study by consultants Carl Bro in 2005 commissioned by the East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) found that the reinstatement would be feasible and achievable. The study put forward potential routes round Market Weighton, Pocklington and Stamford Bridge (the original routes through them having been built over many years ago), chosen for sound railway engineering reasons, and concluded that at £239m (2005 figure) the reinstatement would represent value for money in terms of the Department for Transport’s benefit/cost analysis. (For more information about the Carl Bro study, please email the address at the end of this Briefing.)
1. Existing transport links
1.1 The A1079 between Beverley and York The main A1079 road between Beverley and York is barely adequate to meet current needs. Despite a few improvements in recent years, the ERYC Local Plan Strategy document (adopted in 2016) recognises that it is already seriously congested at peak times and that “… the road network cannot be expected to accommodate unconstrained traffic growth” (paras 7.43-7.44). Even at non-peak times, farm vehicles can cause delays to traffic. Many serious accidents occur on it (see www.crashmap.co.uk) and it is considered to be the seventh most dangerous road in the UK. Except for 1.5 miles, the 27 miles from Beverley to the A64 York bypass are single carriageway. Upgrading is hugely expensive: the dualling of one mile was cancelled as costs rose to £26m – nearly twice the estimate. The growing inadequacy of the A1079 affects commuting, freight and tourism and is a hindrance to economic growth.
1.2 Bus services between Hull and York Bus journeys along the A1079 are slow (an hour for the 22 miles from Market Weighton to Hull, 45 minutes for the 21 miles from Market Weighton to York). At peak times buses are caught up in heavy congestion and not able to keep to schedule. They are not an attractive alternative for commuters.
1.3 Rail services between the East Riding / Hull and York via Selby The current rail service between Hull and York takes the indirect route via Selby (some trains take the longer route via Sherburn in Elmet). It is slow - between 62 and 75 minutes. Most Hull-York trains now start at Bridlington, which is welcome, but this is a slow way of reaching York from the main East Riding towns, e.g. about 90 minutes from Beverley to York. (The direct Minsters line would offer a Beverley - York timing of under 50 minutes.) The service as a whole is not attractive to commuters, and does not of course benefit the growing Western Wolds towns of Market Weighton, Pocklington and Stamford Bridge.
2. The Minsters route and the national rail network
2.1 Existing routes from Hull to the mainline rail network lack resilience The main line to Hull from the west is at risk of disruption. It passes along the Humber foreshore, an area at high risk of flooding, and the line has been closed briefly by flood or tide twice in the last ten years. Predicted sea level rise in the Humber estuary may make this a more frequent occurrence. The 2010 ERYC draft Climate Change Strategy (para 4.5.6) states that before 2050 “Alternative routes may need to be found or existing routes protected for road and rail infrastructure”. More recent climate change studies confirm the likelihood of more frequent flooding. The swing bridges at Selby and Goole add vulnerability to the routes serving Hull: shipping accidents or bridge problems are infrequent, but the resulting disruption is unpredictable and may be long-lasting. For reasons of network resilience a diversionary rail link to Hull is therefore needed. Clearly the Minsters Line will not replace the main route to the west, but it will ensure that, if the latter is badly disrupted, Hull and the East Riding will not be cut off from the mainline rail network, with serious economic consequences (as was the case when the Devon and Cornwall main line was cut at Dawlish by sea damage for two months in 2014).
2.2 Transport for the North: east-west connectivity The project to reinstate the Minsters route sits comfortably within Transport for the North’s Strategic Transport Plan (2019) covered by the Central Pennines Corridor study (p.133). The Minsters route will play a part in east-west rail connectivity, allowing journeys between the East Riding via York to towns in North Yorkshire such as Harrogate. It would play a more major role in east-west connectivity in the event of the main line from Hull being disrupted (see 2.1, above).
2.3 Onward rail travel via York; HS2 At present anyone from the Western Wolds making a long-distance rail journey must go to York by bus or private car. The Minsters line will connect at York with services to many long-distance destinations. Plans for HS2 have been welcomed by Yorkshire councils and LEPs. York will become a major point of connection into HS2. But without a direct rail link to York via the Western Wolds, its communities and businesses will not be able to make best use of the economic and travel benefits which HS2 will bring.
3. Support for the reinstatement of the Minsters line
3.1 Political: East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC); MPs; other local authorities ERYC commissioned the feasibility study by consultants Carl Bro (2005), which found that the reinstatement is feasible, with a favourable benefit/cost ratio, and identified workable alternative routes round Market Weighton, Pocklington and Stamford Bridge where the original line has been built over. In the East Riding Local Plan for 2012-2029, adopted in 2016, ERYC saw no obvious prospect of funding to reinstate the line within the plan period (i.e. up to 2029), and felt that it therefore could not justify including in the East Riding Local Plan the protection of the whole route including the alternative routes round the built-over areas. However the East Riding Local Plan does include a firm statement of support for the reinstatement, and ERYC has continued to offer support in principle. But the outlook has changed. There is a new £500m Department for Transport “Restoring your railway” fund to develop proposals to reinstate axed rail services, and at the end of February 2020 a meeting of the East Riding of Yorkshire Council passed unanimously a motion committing it to work closely with Government and partners to assess the feasibility of re-establishing the line, with a view to securing funding from the DfT's fund, in order to produce an updated feasibility study. Graham Stuart MP is actively involved in these moves, with the support of Sir Greg Knight MP. So now there is real hope for progress towards the reinstatement. The next stage will be a longer submission spelling out the case for the reinstatement in detail. The Minsters Rail Campaign will make available all of its data. We are pleased to acknowledge the strong support of many other MPs in the region including Julian Sturdy and Rachael Maskell (York), as well as Hull MPs Diana Johnson, Karl Turner and Emma Hardy. The reinstatement is also supported in principle by Hull City Council, the City of York Council, Ryedale Council and many parish councils including those of Market Weighton, Pocklington and Stamford Bridge.
3.2 Transport operators Fears have been expressed that the success of the reopened Minsters line could lead to the undermining and closure of some of the remaining bus services along the A1079 corridor. We take a more positive view, and see a role for local bus companies such as East Yorkshire or Acklams in providing services from outlying areas that would connect into train services at stations on the line. The major train operating companies serving Hull and the East Riding provide an excellent service, given the resilience problems of the area’s present rail network (see 2.1, above). The Minsters Rail Campaign is talking with these companies, and has received strong indications of interest in the potential of the reinstated Beverley to York line for new routes and additional journey opportunities.
4. Towards a business case
4.1 The 2005 Carl Bro feasibility study; changes since The 2005 feasibility study showed that many private car users would switch to a rail service if it was available. Since 2005 conditions on the A1079 have deteriorated considerably, and this response would almost certainly now be higher. The rail journey times as planned in the 2005 study will be attractive (Hull-York, 36 miles: 56 minutes; Beverley-York, 32 miles: 46 minutes). The experience of other rail lines reopened in the last few years is that passenger numbers invariably far exceed expectations.
4.2 East Riding disadvantaged by unreliable transport infrastructure The ERYC Economic Strategy Action Plan 2018-2022 includes the strategic aim (3.1) of improving connectivity in order to support economic growth. Para 3.1.1 cautions: “Delays, poor linkages and unreliability in the transport infrastructure and some services weaken the strategic position of the East Riding with surrounding urban areas, causing increased journey times and reduced productivity.” The reopened Minsters line will benefit the area economically by providing an additional route to the west, thus reducing the economic cost of the area’s unreliable transport infrastructure.
4.3 The obligation to favour sustainable transport As already noted, the A1079 is already seriously congested at peak times. Without a sustainable public transport alternative, it is inevitable that the number of extra journeys resulting from the proposed housing developments along the A1079 corridor, plus freight haulage, will have a detrimental effect on journey times, on the environment, and on the quality of life of the population along the route. Reinstatement of the Minsters line will be an effective way of encouraging modal shift away from car use and of meeting the sustainable low carbon transport commitments which ERYC has made.
4.4 Economic growth arising from rail reopenings There is ample evidence of the economic growth that arises from a rail reopening. Following the reopening of the Borders line in Scotland in September 2015, tourism, house prices and inward investment have all increased considerably.
5. Transport needs that will be served by the direct Minsters line
5.1 Travel to work The ERYC Economic Strategy 2018-2022, using 2011 Census data, states that 54,300 East Riding residents travel outside the authority area for work, and that 30,100 from elsewhere commute into the East Riding for work (page 9, figure 5). A large part of this is by car. This can only increase due to projected housing development, leading to further peak-hour delays on overcrowded roads such as the A1079. Travel to work time is an issue for businesses, and they will welcome the fact that the Minsters rail route will open up for their employees within reach of the line a new era of quicker and calmer journeys to work.
5.2 Education Students in further and higher education are increasingly studying at universities and colleges near to home, due to high tuition fees. East Riding students at the colleges and universities in Hull and York represent a travel market whose public transport needs are not being adequately met at present.
5.3 Health The hospitals in Cottingham and Hull are major regional centres for many medical specialties. On-site parking is inadequate and expensive. A York-Hull rail service via Beverley, with connecting bus services, will meet the needs of patients and relatives from the Western Wolds towns. Also, it may be possible to build a station directly alongside York Hospital to serve patients and staff and the area round about.
5.4 Retail A reliable rail service via the Western Wolds towns would enable residents in these areas to access easily the major retail centres of Hull and York (and also Leeds and Meadowhall).
5.5 Tourism The ERYC Economic Strategy Action Plan 2018-2022 stresses the need to maximise tourism, particularly sustainable tourism. The Western Wolds market towns are in need of visitors to boost their economy but road congestion and lack of parking are limiting their potential. The reinstatement of the YorkBeverley-Hull rail line could be a catalyst for a significant increase in tourism for them. (It may be noted that being UK City of Culture 2017 led to a considerable growth in tourism to Hull and area.)
5.6 Hull - new industrial development; freight As the number of passenger trains on the main line out of Hull increases, there will be fewer paths for freight trains. Recent investment in manufacturing in Hull by Siemens and others will add to the pressure on the existing routes to the city, both road and rail, passenger and freight. If Hull-York services use the Minsters route to York via Beverley, this will free up paths on the main line.
6. A long-term aspiration: making it happen
The line will provide improved transport and economic growth in East Yorkshire in the same way that the Borders line (reopened in September 2015) is already doing for that part of Scotland. But it will also have a wider significance, contributing to east-west connectivity and to the resilience of the region’s rail network. Looking further into the future, there is the potential for a York-Bridlington service if a chord is built just north of Beverley between the reinstated line from York and the existing Hull-Scarborough line.
Nationally, there is increasing appreciation of the role that an expanded rail network can play in green travel, cutting harmful emissions, and Government policy papers such as the DfT’s Connecting people: a strategic vision for rail (2017) show a positive change in how potential rail reopenings are viewed.
In this context we will therefore work with Transport for the North (TfN), Rail North, Network Rail and other interested parties and sectors, seeking their support for the reinstatement to be added to the proposals to be taken further. Our initial aim is to have the 2005 feasibility study updated in order to validate its benefit/cost ratio and to revise its costings. Collaboration with East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Graham Stuart MP over an application to the DfT’s “Restoring your railway” fund (see 3.1, above) will be a major step towards this.
David Pennie (contact@minstersrail.com) on behalf of the Minsters Rail Campaign (www.minstersrail.com) Updated 20 April 2020