Walkers on the existing Monsal Trail
A new cycle trail across the Peak District could be created with the reopening of four disused railway tunnels. The scheme would encourage visitors to arrive by train then take to two wheels to get to the heart of the national park.
The proposed £3¾m project would link with existing cycle tracks using former railway routes on the Monsal, High Peak and Tissington Trails. The Department of Transport is contributing £1m to the scheme.
The section from Buxton to Bakewell would use the 400m-long tunnels along the rail route, axed in the late 1960s. Cycling England has pledged £1.25m to the total cost of £3.785m. The Peak District National Park Authority, which will manage the project, is seeking further funding from Derbyshire County Council.
Off-road cycle tracks will link with road sections in the hope that it will both encourage national park visitors on to their bikes and be of use to commuters who could use the trails to get to stations at Buxton and Matlock.
National park director of operations Richard Campen said: “The authority and Cycling England are delighted that the Department of Transport has committed a further £1m to this exciting project.
“It will create both a spectacular cycling route and a realistic alternative to the car, enabling more people to make healthy choices for themselves and for the environment.
“It will also benefit local tourism businesses with rail and cycle-based travel packages.
“The Peak District is the most accessible place to unwind for millions of people in nearby cities. With the cycle trail they can get fit, save fuel and enjoy some of the best scenery in the country.”
At present, only one per cent of visitors to the White Peak, in the national park’s southern and central area, arrive by bicycle, with 85 per cent coming by car.
The business plan for the project will be considered by the authority and, if approved, work will start early next year.
The Piglit
09 November 2009A realistic alternative to the car would be better public transport. Wouldn't it be great if all the disused lines in the Peak could be reconstructed instead of turning them into recreational facilities that most people will drive do.
Dream on.............
Richard
10 November 2009Just so long as they don't think they can arrive by train with their bike - only 2 cycles allowed on trains that arrive in Matlock or Buxton!
This disused line should be turned back into a used line not a cycle route IMHO.
Colin
10 November 2009For a site frequented by 'outdoor people' I'm surprised at the resistance to opening up new trails. To reopen these rail routes and turn them back into a "used line" would require:
1. The support of those that live and work alongside these beautiful and heavily protected areas.
2. Multi-billion pound investment in infrastructure.
3. Many thousands of regular, paying customers (how many of these will you find at Monsal Head Station for example?)
So yeah, dream on.
AA
10 November 2009Why not re-open the line as a tram route? You could still then use the routes as cycle/footpaths and the start-up costs would be a lot lower as would the running costs.
Mark A
15 November 2009Even Dr Beeching recommended that this line be retained - it was a direct link between the centres of population of the East Midlands and the Manchester conurbation.
Derbyshire County Council's study from 2004 established the cost of one of the options for reopening the line at £126 million, but then concluded that reopening was only marginally viable, and that only in the long term.
The passenger model used by the study appears not to have included the line's potential as a through route linking the east midlands with the north west. Here's a link to the study's findings.
http://tinyurl.com/yfqan4t
Since the study concluded, the Eurostar terminal has opened at St Pancras, offering a same-station interchange with trains from Manchester via this line. Only in the UK would it be under consideration for a recreational cycle path, by the Department for Transport!
peter jarai
06 October 2010hi it is peter jarai
i wood just like say we need to reopen all railway lines that go to st pancras international railway station that is all midland main lines that are disused now wood have to reopen for highspeed 2 railway line . no recreational cycle path.
i ask the Department for transport to reject the recreational cycle path plan and reopen the midland main railway line to all parts of the uk from st pancras international station this wood be best way for highspeed railway2.