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Fleetwood to Poulton railway set to return

The government has announced plans to reopen a Wyre railway which has been unused for over 50 years.

The railway between Fleetwood and Poulton-le-Fylde was closed to passenger traffic in the 1970s, however it now has a promising future with the government approving plans for the line to be reopened after laying dormant for over 50 years.

Campaigners have long been battling to have passenger services reinstated and the Department for Transport has agreed to fully fund the reopening of the line with plans now progressing to the next stage of the government’s ‘Restoring your Railway’ funding programme.

The Poulton to Fleetwood railway is one of just nine schemes from a total of 199 from the ‘Ideas Fund’ stage of the programme to receive funding for further development works.

There will now be a more detailed business case presented which will identify the associated costs of the preferred option.

The government pledged a total of £500 million to the ‘Restoring Your Railway Fund’ in order to start the reopening of many long-closed stations.

Chief Executive of Wyre Council, Garry Payne, said: “This is fantastic news for Wyre and takes this much needed improvement to local transport one step closer to being delivered.

“We have been working with local stakeholders for a long time now, prior to the Government’s programme, so it’s great to hear today that the green light has been given to draw up more detailed plans.

“Restoring the rail connection from Poulton to Fleetwood is key to providing increased employment opportunities, links to further and higher education for young people, boosting Wyre’s visitor economy and for the overall regeneration of the area.”

Once the line is reopened, the journey times between the two towns will be slashed in half and it will put Fleetwood very much on the map once again.