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Reconnect the Pickering to Whitby Railway
The Whitby to Pickering Steam Railway remains an ever-popular attraction for visitors to Whitby and the surrounding area. Each year, thousands of visitors make the journey from Whitby’s station, through the Esk Valley and on through the North Yorkshire Moors to the pretty market town of Pickering.
As well as travelling by steam, diesel trains also run up and down the rails between Whitby and Middlesbrough, providing a much needed service to our more rural communities.
However, in their heyday, railways provided a much greater service in our area than they do now. In an effort to bring back more of the original railway service, a petition has been started requesting the reconnection of the Pickering to Malton stretch of line.
As well as providing a useful link for those travelling between Pickering and Malton, reconnecting this stretch of line would make it possible to travel by train between Whitby and York – a service which would undoubtedly be as popular with our town’s visitors as with locals.
If you’d like to sign the petition, please Click Here. it doesn’t close until 22nd October 2013, so there’s plenty of time. And of course, if you feel strongly about this, please share the link with your friends and others who you feel would be interested in signing this petition.
A steam train at Grosmont, on the Whitby – Pickering Line
9 Responses to Reconnect the Pickering to Whitby Railway
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Say No To Joe
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Dave Red
December 7, 2012 at 4:58 pm
Would it be possible to provide the Pickering Malton rail link through private subscription? It surely must be. Venture Capitalists. Anyone know any? Or where they can be contacted. It would be extremely beneficial to lots of businesses and people between Whitby and York and further. Shareholders required. If I owned land on this route I would welcome a rail halt. Just think of the benefits. Goods transported. Schoolchildren. Lots of scope for leisure activity. Thousands of tourists in York. Hop on a train to Whitby. Dragon’s Den, maybe it could stir some interest there. One thing for sure, better in private hands than letting ‘them’ have anything to do with it. It needs some ‘blue sky’ thinking applying to a project like this. And no input or infiltration from Scarborough.
Harry Basset
December 7, 2012 at 8:07 pm
There are numerous drawbacks ti this idea which comes round more often than Halley,s Comet
1 The NYMR between Pickering operates at maximum train capacity through the summer month peak tim etable, how would additional through trains be fitted in along this single track railway?
2 Pickering is already a notorious road traffic bottleneck, laying a new line and level crossings would cause gridlock.
3 Buildings have been erected on the old trackbed, purchase and demolition would be very expensivew and fiercely resisted.
4 Pickering Town Council is against reopening as they foresee the tourist spending missing out Pickering completely.
Daryl Smiler
December 8, 2012 at 7:14 am
I thought Halley,s Comet came round about every 70 odd years.
Harry Basset
December 8, 2012 at 8:13 am
OK you got me there. However comets were thought to foretell disaster and reconnection would be a disaster for the NYMR if a bigger Train Operating Company took over their line.
Dave Red
December 8, 2012 at 12:42 pm
@Harry Basset. You act like you are defeated before the war has even started. Here are my replies to your various points.
1 There would not be through trains on a constant basis. You would change trains at Pickering for Whitby. Just like you change trains at York for other destinations. I have not heard the tooting whistle of the steam train lately near Whitby. Is the Pickering to Whitby train running now, December? If it is not what I would say is what a waste of a railway line.
2 Pickering a traffic bottleneck. I did not know what. Let the train take the strain. Laying new lines and level-crossings will create employment and circulation of capital and a reduction in welfare benefit payments. What is more important traffic bottlenecks or jobs?
3 Purchase of buildings and track. What I would say here is that everybody has their price and this is not the only consideration as the benefits to land and property owners and residents and business owners are numerous.
4 Pickering Town Council. IF what you say is true Pickering councillors should consider the extra job prospects, injection of capital into the area and an even greater influx of tourists into the area, tourists who would otherwise not visit because of the road traffic bottlenecks that you mention.
Dave Red
December 8, 2012 at 12:52 pm
@Harry Basset. In respect of the comment from Harry where he mentions a bigger train company taking over the North Yorks Moor Railway line. This is all conjecture and exists only in the mind of Harry Basset. There would be no reason why the existing rail operator could not work in conjunction with and in harmonious co-operation with another rail operator using North Yorks Moor Railway Line. After all is said and done this rail operator do not own the line all the way into Whitby and their trains use it (in the summer according to Harry Basset) so North Yorks Moor Railway must be currently working in harmony with another line operator who own some of the line that the North Yorks Moor Railway run their trains on. I am assuming that North Yorks Moor Railway own some the the railway line to and from and at Pickering and Goathland. I have no information on who owns what in respect of the lines and the various stations.
Richard Ineson
December 9, 2012 at 8:30 am
The great pity about the NYMR is that we did not have anybody on the three secret STAKEHOLDER STEERING GROUPS who organised the PARK and (get taken for a )Ride, with any vision, somebody who could have incorporated the NYMR into this scheme, which would have eliminated the need for a bus service to transfer people from the car park into Whitby. The P&R car park could have been built close to one of the railway stations and this would have provided the transport for the P&R users. This would have provided extra funds for NYMR and reduced carbon emissions because the bus service would not have been needed. As it is, this ill though out scheme, which has already cost £415,000 with no tangible evidence for this expenditure other than ‘The Bollard which never rises’ is heading towards being one of the biggest financial mistakes in the history of NYCC, which will make the ‘Irton Tree’ and the £3.8 million shortfall on the sale of the highways depots, look like good deals. What a cock up.
Al Roberts
December 9, 2012 at 2:23 pm
Richard
Don’t hold your breath waiting for a rail link.
P+R schemes are supposed to be an environmental issue, to encourage the public to leave their cars at home and use public transport.
I will remind you that NYCC built a park and ride facility in Seamer Road Scarborough, in the middle of nowhere, and created another set of traffic lights on a road that is already congested.
The P+R also backs immediately onto the rail line where a rail terminal could easily have been created as the link into town.
Furthermore the location of the present P+R is much less than a mile from Seamer station which is right alongside the A64, adjacent to the business park, local to Crossgates and within walking distance of Seamer and Eastfield.
Had the P+R been located near Seamer station, users could have accessed this facility by car via one of the roundabouts, instead having to stop the flow of traffic at traffic lights.
A rail link could have utilised Seamer Station to run a shuttle service into Scarborough. This service would have been easier to keep on time, have no need for adding yet another set of traffic lights on a major trunk road.
This service could have been used not only by tourists coming to the town, but it could be an alternative for people in the locality wanting to get to work or shop, whether in town or out at the business park.
Harry Basset
December 10, 2012 at 6:13 pm
Getting back on track the NYMR General Manager agrees that reconnection would be bad for the NYMR.