Hull and Beverley are linked with Market Weighton, Pocklington, Stamford Bridge and York by the increasingly congested A1079. The Minsters Rail Campaign believes that the former 32-mile Beverley to York “Minsters” rail line (closed in 1965), which branched off the existing Hull-Scarborough line at Beverley and served these places, should be reinstated.
The track was closed in 1965 following recommendations in the Beeching Report two years earlier. Written by the then-Chair of British Railways, Dr Richard Beeching, the report was the basis of the infamous cuts throughout the sixties which resulted in around 6,000 miles of railway lines being axed on cost and efficiency grounds.
This will contribute substantially to the long-term economic and social future of the East Riding, improving public transport, reducing car dependency and encouraging sustainable development. It will also be an alternative link from Hull and the East Riding to the rest of the rail network. This is much needed because the existing rail infrastructure serving Hull lacks resilience. Regionally, the line will contribute to the Government’s “Northern Powerhouse” initiative and fulfill its promise to "Levelling up" the country, improving east-west connectivity between East and North Yorkshire.
In January 2020, shortly after the 2019 general election, the Government pledged an initial £500 million to help reverse the sweeping Beeching cuts of the 1960s. Just shy of 200 bids have been submitted across three rounds of funding, the latest of which closed on 5th March where 85 bids were submitted.
Alongside the internationally acclaimed engineering firm AECOM, the Minsters Rail Campaign have submitted their bid to restore the Beverley to York railway line, with a view to announcing the successful bids later this year.
