Published at 12:06, Monday, 15 September 2008

By Robert JohnsonTHE company planning to reopen a Cumbrian railway line say it could bring annual benefits of more than £10 million.

CKP Railways say that even for only 250,000 passengers every year travelling by train rather than car to and from Keswick, the annual fuel saving would be in the order of 500,000 gallons – now worth £2.5 million per annum.

In their latest report, the company says the criteria used by the Department for Transport – when doing cost-benefit calculations for transport projects – take into account carbon emission reductions as a positive factor, but also show the loss of revenue from fuel duty to the Treasury as a very negative factor, which tends to favour road transport solutions.

CKP Railways director Cedric Martindale said: “Adding the potential value of fuel saved brings the annual benefits of the Keswick to Penrith line, from these direct factors alone, to more than £10 million per annum.

“The most elaborate version of the Keswick to Penrith line, with double track, several intermediate stations, and full signalling for an intensive service, was costed at £107 million. Benefits to this value would be realised within the first 10 years of operation.”

He said this did not include benefits to the local economy such as increased tourist spending of about £1 million per annum according to some estimates, social integration, improved business opportunities, workforce mobility and access to services.

Mr Martindale said a less complex scheme, which would still be able to carry an hourly service, would deliver benefits equivalent to its construction cost “in as little as five to seven years.”

CKP Railways welcomed a report published by the Lake District National Park Authority, called ‘Low carbon Lake District’, which identified tackling “limited public transport” as one of the keys to reducing the area’s carbon footprint and reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels.

Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk