Concept and aims
Following suspension of the Sunday DalesRail service from the North West onto the Settle-Carlisle Line in 2023, Community Rail Lancashire (CRL) worked with a wide range of partners – including Lancashire County Council, York & North Yorkshire Combined Authority, Yorkshire Dales National Park, and Northern – to explore proposals for its continuation.
With DalesRail dating back to 1975, CRL were aware of the demand for leisure travel on the route, and were determined to work collaboratively to find an alternative to promote sustainable rail-based tourism into the area.
What happened
CRL worked with Lancashire County Council to commission a consultant to look at various options for the continuation of a DalesRail-type service. They included running on different days, operating from Manchester instead of Blackpool, and terminating at different stations on the Settle-Carlisle Line.
The preferred proposal was to introduce the ‘Yorkshire Dales Explorer’, a new Saturday service between Rochdale/Manchester and Ribblehead, running via Bolton and Blackburn. A business case was subsequently developed and accepted by the Rail North Partnership and the DfT. CRL played a key role in coordinating and developing the project, which also received support from the Settle-Carlisle CRP, the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line, and Ribble Valley Rail.
The new twice-daily service was launched on Saturday 8th June 2024, with promotional material highlighting the journey options into the Dales from the Ribble Valley, Blackburn and Greater Manchester.
Results
As of November 2024, more than 1,600 passengers had travelled north of Clitheroe on the service since its launch, with almost a quarter (24%) going on to access a programme of guided walks, linking rail and active travel. Of equal importance are the more than 600 passengers who have travelled south on the service to access Clitheroe, the Ribble Valley, Blackburn and Manchester.
CRL has supported the marketing and promotion of the service, creating itineraries for days out, and developing a comprehensive programme of walks in conjunction with the Lancashire Rail Ramblers and the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line, using history trails to highlight the fascinating stories in the communities along the line.
Northern has reported groups of walkers from Manchester using the service to travel to the Yorkshire Dales by train for the first time, and the successful development of rail/bus links, with organised trips from Ribblehead to Swaledale and Wensleydale for passengers who want to get off the train and travel further afield.
All project partners have stated the positive impact the service has had in boosting local tourism, and there are now plans to expand the partnership to include the nearby Forest of Bowland National Landscape.
You can find more information about the service on the CRL website here.
