Thursday the 17th of August saw The Bentham Line get a visit from Rail Minister Huw Merriman as part of a tour of Community Rail organisations and the people that run them from all over the country.

Gerald Townson, Chair of the Leeds–Morecambe Community Rail Partnership, was on hand to welcome the Minister for Rail at Skipton Station.

The Rail Partnership has been recognised by the Department for Transport for its impressive work involving communities, stakeholders and the rail industry for its line, which runs between Leeds and Heysham Port and the visit provided an excellent opportunity to celebrate them, including:

• Dementia and Community Rail Project
• Engagement with diverse communities across the route
• Encouraging green travel

The Bentham Lines award-winning ‘Dementia and Community Rail Project; has seen particularly inspiring work that has encouraged other community rail partnerships and rail operators to take on similar aspects in order to offer improved accessibility, especially for those travelling with hidden disabilities.

A copy of ‘The Bentham Line Development Strategy to 2042’, which was published by the partnership in 2022, was given to the Rail Minister during his visit. The publication demonstrates how the partnership aims to develop the line, such as:

• Taking an environmentally friendly approach to developing the line and infrastructure
• Developing services, increasing connectivity for locals between Lancaster and Morecambe set to open in 2026
• A double celebration in 2025 marking Bradford as ‘City of Culture’ and the lines 175th anniversary

The visit also saw an opportunity to discuss the fantastic work of the Partnership Team who are working with young people from school age through to university students in a bid to build a connection with the line and have seen several projects, including:

• ‘Sheep on the Line’ rail safety campaign with school pupils
• ‘Access for All’ campaign with students
• ‘Destination Wellbeing’, which saw a promotional campaign developed by university students.
• ‘Rail and Sail’ project at Heysham Port, which worked alongside the introduction of a new vessel ‘Manxman’ by the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company

The Minister was delighted with his visit to the Bentham Line and offered his sincere thanks for the team’s ongoing dedication and focus as part of the Community Rail Strategy.