The railway connection to a quarry in Yorkshire has been restored, 60 years after its previous siding was closed by British Rail.

When tests are complete, GB Railfreight will be able to run aggregate trains from Horton Quarry, in the Yorkshire Dales, which is connected to the Settle & Carlisle line. Each train will transport up to 1,650 tonnes of aggregates to construction sites in the region.

Although it lost its rail connection in 1965 the quarry, which is owned by Heidelberg Materials UK, has been producing limestone and high-quality gritstone since 1889.

Heidelberg’s regional director Becky Murphy said: ‘The reopening of the rail link is fantastic news and has been years in the making.

’It will allow us to supply high-quality aggregate to major construction projects by rail, reducing vehicle movements on the wider road network and cutting associated CO₂ emissions.’

The work to relay the siding was carried out by Duo Group, VolkerRail and AECOM, in partnership with Network Rail.

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