Forum

Building a walking and cycling route along a former railway line is an approved way to 'mothball' a line for potential rail re-instatement. Sustrans owns numerous former railway lines 'in trust' for precisely this reason. In Scotland we are currently working with the Scottish Executive on re-opening the Airdrie to Bathgate line and the Waverley Line (Edinburgh to Gallashields) whilst, of course, also maintaining the established levels of walking and cycling.
 
Indeed just north of Harrogate an embankment section of the former railway line to Ripon was re-constructed at the behest of the councils' planning department - purely because - the land is protected for the proposed cycle route.