The National Rail terminus at Matlock, with the Peak Railway platform on the left

Plans to reopen the former Midland Railway main line to Manchester have taken a step forward with the submission of the Peaks and Dales Line Feasibility Study to the Department for Transport. The line would restore a link between Derby and Manchester through the Peak District via Matlock, Bakewell and Buxton.

The proposal will be reviewed through the Better Value Rail Working Group, which consists of the DfT, Network Rail and the Office of Rail and Road. 

The study concludes that no ‘prohibitive feasibility‑stage barriers’ have been found, and that the proposal can now progress to the Strategic Outline Business Case stage.

The proposals are only in outline at the moment, and do not specifiy such details as the alignment or possible service patterns.

The study suggests that potential economic benefits could be worth between £2 billion and £8 billion, and points out that 18.5km of railway would need to be reinstated to complete the 80km route.

The project has formal cross‑party parliamentary support. At least 26 MPs have signed a joint letter to the Minister for Rail, and a motion of support is also due to be considered by Derbyshire County Council next month.

At the moment, between 13 million and 26 million people visit the Peak District every year, and only 15 per cent do not use a car.

The revived route would also provide sustainable access to almost 18,000 new homes which would be built on brownfield sites outside the National Park.

The proposals include an enhanced Monsal Trail Network, ensuring that walking, cycling, and leisure routes are improved and expanded alongside the railway.

Director of operations at Peaks and Dales Line Ltd Martyn Guiver said: ‘This feasibility work demonstrates clearly that the Peaks and Dales Line corridor is credible and deliverable in principle.

‘It shows that rail reinstatement is the only intervention capable of addressing congestion, accessibility and environmental pressure at the scale now facing the corridor and provides a robust foundation for progression to a Strategic Outline Business Case.’

The former line used to provide a route for trains from London St Pancras to Manchester Central, but its central section was closed in stages between 1967 and 1969.

At the moment, although the National Rail terminus from the Derby direction is at Matlock, the track from there continues for about 7km as the Peak Railway heritage line to Rowsley South, while trains from Manchester still run as far as Buxton.

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