Peak Rail is a preserved railway line and Train Operating Company in Derbyshire, England, which operates both a steam and heritage diesel service for tourists and visitors to both the Peak District and the Derbyshire Dales.
The preserved railway line is currently over 3 and a half miles in length and, as of August 2012, operates train services from Matlock station (shared with Derwent Valley Line services from Derby via Ambergate) via the site of Matlock Riverside and Darley Dale to Rowsley South.
However Peak Rail intends to extend its operational services northward to Bakewell when resources allow. The first stage of this extension is to relay track to the site of Rowsley Station (serving the nearby village of Rowsley itself), extending to a total of 4ΒΌ Miles in length once the first stage is complete.
The Bakewell extension project would also include full restoration of both the old Haddon tunnel and Coombs Road viaduct as well as the reinstatement of numerous bridges along the way. Bakewell station remains largely intact (though it may require reducing platform levels back to their former condition for preserved trains to pull in once again).
Beyond Bakewell the railway trackbed is used by the Monsal Trail but a restored line could operate single track alongside (as is done by the Heritage Avon Valley Railway in Gloucestershire) once safety issues are resolved.
Read more about Peak Rail: History, Possible Future Expansion Towards Bakewell, Special Events, Proposed Extension & (Future) Stations, Operating Groups At The Present Railway, Signalling On The Railway, Ongoing Projects, Future Developments
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