The campaign to reopen the long-closed rail line between Skipton and Colne has taken another step forward, with campaigners saying the project could transform access to education, employment and leisure opportunities for young people across the region.
SELRAP (Skipton East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership) has welcomed a decision by the Lancashire Combined County Authority (LCCA) to prioritise the 12-mile cross-border rail link, which closed in 1970.
The organisation says reconnecting Skipton and Colne could provide a major boost for communities on both sides of the Pennines, particularly students and school leavers who do not have access to a car.
Nick Tennant, SELRAP's vice chair, said:
“The decision by the LCCA this spring to put the Skipton-Colne Line at the heart of its transport strategy is great news for people living on both sides of the Pennines, especially students and school leavers without a car.
“Reconnecting Pendle with Leeds, the reopening could quickly and cost effectively provide a much-needed shot in the arm for isolated and increasingly deprived communities, whose needs have been ignored by decision makers based far away for decades.
“Local young people’s access to jobs and education would be transformed.
"For example, vacancies at Skipton Building Society and other major employers in the Yorkshire Dales, such as the increasingly important tourism and hospitality sector, would become a much more realistic opportunity for job seekers based over the border in Lancashire.
“Enrolling at Leeds or Bradford universities, along with Craven College and Keighley College, would also be a much easier and affordable option for students from East Lancashire.
"The same applies in reverse for their counterparts in Yorkshire wishing to follow courses at universities and colleges along the M65 corridor.”
Around a quarter of students at Craven College in Skipton currently commute by road from East Lancashire, according to SELRAP.
Campaigners also believe reopening the railway could support housing opportunities for younger people, with brownfield sites in East Lancashire potentially becoming more attractive for affordable housing developments.
The group says the current fast rail connections from Skipton to Leeds and beyond contribute to house prices in Skipton being significantly higher than those just over the border in Colne.
The proposed connection could also make leisure opportunities more accessible, including the Yorkshire Dales and Pendle, while providing a direct rail option for Burnley FC supporters travelling from Craven to Turf Moor.
Boundary Outlet, next to Colne railway station, could also become easier to reach from Yorkshire by public transport.
For young people who have grown up on either side of the Pennines, the potential benefits are particularly significant.
George Fry, 20, from Trawden near Colne, joined SELRAP earlier this year.
A former pupil of Park High School and Burnley College, he is about to begin his third year studying French and Politics at the University of London Institute in Paris.
George said:
“Train journeys around the North with my grandma are one of my fondest childhood memories.
"The Skipton-Colne Line would have made them much easier.
“A car should not a prerequisite for young people like me from East Lancashire to make a success of our lives.
"For me, the Skipton to Colne Line’s revival cannot come soon enough.
"It’s a sustainable, oven-ready and cost-effective solution to tackling traffic congestion, with the potential to dramatically improve the quality of life for many generations to come.
"Bring it on please!”
George Boulter, 24, from Malham, near Skipton, graduated in Politics and Economics from the University of Nottingham in 2024.
He said:
“Studying at Ermysteds Grammar School gave me friends across West Yorkshire and East Lancashire.
"Skipton was the central hub for us as kids. Having the option to travel by rail to Colne and beyond would be a huge improvement for future generations.
“Growing up, I also saw firsthand the multitude of tourists who travel to Malham and other Yorkshire Dales beauty spots.
"Locally, traffic is at near breaking point for much of the summer.
"We desperately need to provide visitors with greener, integrated public transport options.
“I am pleased to see local leaders on both sides of the border working together to make the Skipton-Colne Line a reality once more.
“Skipton's role as a centre for education, employment and nightlife would be greatly enhanced by its reinstatement. It’s a no brainer.”
SELRAP says the latest progress represents an opportunity to improve connectivity between communities that have been separated by the closure of the railway for more than five decades, while creating new opportunities for younger generations to live, study and work across the region.
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