Lee Rowley MP has strongly welcomed the Government’s announced today that, after years of campaigning, the Barrow Hill line will be re-opening to passenger traffic, decades after it was closed in the 1960s.
Re-opening the Barrow Hill line to passenger traffic has been a key campaign of Lee since 2020 and, as the MP sponsor of the project, he has worked on its development with partners, including the Government, Network Rail and the County Council. Just last year, the proposal passed its latest design hurdle and secure Government funding for more details to be worked out. Earlier in the Summer, Lee brought the Rail Minister, Huw Merriman MP, to North East Derbyshire to see the possibilities that the re-opening of the line would bring our area. Today, that has paid off with confirmation that the line will re-open in the future.
The Barrow Hill Line runs from Chesterfield through North East Derbyshire at stations like Staveley/Barrow Hill before proceeding on into Sheffield. The line was previously closed as part of the Beeching cuts in the 1960’s and has been a freight-only line since then.
Commenting, Lee Rowley stated:
“This is amazing news for our community – and something we have been working on for years. The re-opening of the Barrow Hill line to passenger traffic will give long-term, guaranteed access to public transport in the north of the constituency which has been without train services for decades. This is a huge win for North East Derbyshire.
This comes just days after the announcement that a further £20 million has been allocated to improvements in Chesterfield – showing that North East Derbyshire is at the centre of levelling up. With the opening of the new A&E hub at the Royal, the construction of the new Hartington Unit, the two town deals for Staveley and Clay Cross, a new banking hub opening in a few weeks’ time and the new school secured for The Avenue – amongst many other things – we are really starting to see all of the work pay off.”
“We don’t yet know exactly what stations will be covered so there are lots of details to confirm (and it may not be possible to do everything that we want immediately) but this is a brilliant day for North East Derbyshire. Thank you to all the residents who supported our campaign over so long – you have been amazing!”
