A target date of 2026 has been put on the return of passenger services to the Leicester-Burton-on-Trent ‘Ivanhoe Line’. 

It follows Network Rail’s offer to fund the feasibility study into how much work is needed to upgrade the infrastructure on the freight-only route, and how much it will cost.

The revival, which includes several new intermediate stations, has taken 40 years of campaigning so far. There was a breakthrough last year when the Government put the 31-mile line on its shortlist of nine (from 39 national schemes) for Restoring Your Railway funds.

The East Midlands Chamber (EMC) business group understands that if the Ivanhoe Line’s passenger viability is proven, design work proper will begin in mid-2024, and that following parliamentary approval it could open two years later. EMC will itself now work hard to strengthen the case.

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