Controversies
A proposal exists to build a new road known as the “A56 Villages Bypass” from Colne towards Skipton on a similar alignment to the railway. The 2003 report from Steer Davies Gleave suggests that the road and rail schemes may be mutually inclusive. However, some critics regard the rail proposals as a source of undue delay to the road scheme.
SELRAP does not declare a view on the proposed new road provided that its construction does not obstruct or hinder full reinstatement of a double track railway.
SELRAP does not express a view on a lower cost alternative to link Skipton with the West. With a reversal at Hellifield, trains could reach Blackburn and Preston via the Ribble Valley line: although this would require little (if any) structural investment, it would take longer than the direct route and provide none of the regeneration benefits for Colne, Nelson, Burnley or West Craven, instead passing through Clitheroe which already has a good rail service.
Read more about this topic: Skipton-East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership