News, Politics

Reunification of heritage railway line a step closer to reality as viaduct plans given green light

By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter

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Volunteers behind a project to reconnect a heritage railway line running between Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire say they are now “masters of their own destiny” after being given planning consent for a new viaduct.

Preparations can now start to relay around 500 metres of new track and bring two separate sections of the historic Great Central Railway (GCR) back together.

One operational section is in Ruddington, Nottinghamshire, while another is in Loughborough in Leicestershire.

The Victorian high-speed railway first opened in 1899, running between Sheffield and London. However it shut under the Beeching railway cuts in the late 1960s.

Two long sections of the line through the Midlands survived, but 500 metres of railway in Loughborough was demolished, severing the link.

Charnwood Borough Council signalled the green light for the remaining pieces of the project to bring them back together on June 16.

Volunteers are now clear to build an urban viaduct, the railway terrace bridge, the Preci Spark car park crossing, and upgrade the embankment on the north side of the Midland Main Line.

“The fact we have now got planning consent is incredible,” Tom Ingall, of the GCR, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

“It has been 11 months’ of hard work and a six-figure sum. After this we are masters of our own destiny.

“The vast majority of money has come from people donating – from people in Loughborough, Nottinghamshire, the wider East Midlands, and even around the world. We’ve had donations from America and Australia.

“In total £5m has been raised and spent. We’ve got £2.5m raised and in the bank to press on.

“The next stage of work is the ground survey plan which will start in July. We would like to be building again next year.”

Members of the GCR project can now proceed with every last remaining section of the reunification.

Plans will further link the line to the mainline tracks in Leicestershire, allowing trains to travel to the GCR from different parts of the country.

However, Mr Ingall says while the many millions in the bank may sound like a lot – he emphasised it “does not go far”.

Members of the project have already built a new bridge, restored another original bridge, and replaced a rail bridge over the A60 in 2022.

“This is huge, there have been a lot of volunteers involved, but we’ve had to employ professionals too,” he added.

“There are likely still tens of millions yet to raise. There is a clear benefit here. It brings people all together – the older generation gets company and the younger generations gets skills.

“The real key message for us is the more money we raise the faster this gets delivered. It is the heritage railways’ HS2.”