Fresh call to reinstate lost rail link

An MP has stepped up calls for a Lancashire town's rail link to be brought back into use.

Campaigners have fought for years to reopen the Poulton to Fleetwood link, which has been shut since the 1970s.

Lorraine Beavers, MP for Blackpool North and Fleetwood, is to hold a meeting on Thursday with community leaders, transport experts and business representatives to discuss how to progress proposals to reopen the line.

Its reinstatement would be "transformational for our community", she said.

"It would improve access to jobs, education and services, help tackle long-standing inequalities, and support the economic opportunities emerging across Fleetwood, Thornton-Cleveleys and the wider Fylde Coast," Beavers said.

"I'm delighted to be bringing together local and national stakeholders to discuss how we can make this vision a reality."

Michael Solomon Williams, head of campaigns and external affairs at Campaign for Better Transport, said: "Fleetwood was once a key rail gateway connecting communities across Britain.

"Reopening the rail line would not just be about restoring a missing piece of infrastructure; it would help create new opportunities for residents, support sustainable economic growth and strengthen transport links across Lancashire."

Fleetwood lost its primary rail link in 1966, when the main station closed as part of the Beeching Cuts.

A smaller branch line from the town continued to operate until 30 May 1970, when all passenger services were discontinued.

The route remained in use for freight services serving the ICI plant at Burn Naze Halt until 1999, when all traffic on the line ceased.

In 2022, it was announced that plans to reopen the line would progress to the next stage of the Government's Restoring your Railway fund programme which was set up to help restore lost lines and stations.

But the fund was cancelled in July 2024 and any projects which had not reached an advanced stage were halted.

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