Circular Railway to Norwich
LAND PURCHASE FIRST STEP TO ESTABLISHING ORBITAL RAIL ROUTE - New fund raising drive launched
The ambition to establish a Norfolk Orbital railway has moved forward with the purchase of a vital piece of former railway track bed at Holt – and the charity behind the scheme, the Melton Constable Trust, is appealing for £85,000 to secure the next stretch.
The eventual aim of the company behind the Norfolk Orbital railway, the Holt, Melton Constable and Fakenham Railway (HMCFR), is to link the existing rail heads at Holt on the North Norfolk Railway and Dereham on the Mid Norfolk Railway, via Fakenham, to create a passenger carrying railway line that brings rail travel back to communities throughout Norfolk that are currently entirely reliant on car and bus transport. Both the existing railways have connections to Network Rail at Sheringham and Wymondham respectively and the line would be built on the track beds of railways closed in the 1960s as part of the Beeching axe.
The first stage, however, is to bring a regular rail service to Norwich back to the town of Holt. The purchase of the key section of former trackbed to the south of the North Norfolk Railway’s station on the outskirts of Holt brings this aim a vital step nearer reality. The company has also agreed terms for the purchase of a further section of land and paid a £15,000 deposit.
“This is major progress of the most practical kind,” said Trevor Bailey, one of the trustees of The Melton Constable Trust, the registered charity that plans to rebuild a railway extending from the North Norfolk Railway's present terminus into and beyond Holt. “Now we can offer the best of reasons why the public and organisations should give financial support towards the next stage.”
The Trust is now launching an appeal to raise £85,000 to secure the next stretch, crucially requiring £20,000 by 30 November this year. Last year the Trust had a significant success in being accepted into the Big Give, one of the country's main challenge funds for charities. The Big Give partially matched donations from the public.
David Bill MBE, a trustee of the charity whose family long worked on the railway before its closure in 1964, had been impressed by public support. “We were amazed how enthusiastically people from the local area and
all over the country responded to our initial, quite small scale, fund-raising push. It is down to them that the Trust now owns this vital piece of land. We are today launching a new fundraising campaign to enable us to buy other key sections. We need every donation we can get in the coming weeks.”
opportunities to all parts of the country.
At the same time, we shall be very happy to see the North Norfolk Railway's heritage services running to Holt. Those services provide huge car-free tourism benefits and could be of great economic advantage to Holt itself.”
An agreement has been signed with the North Norfolk Railway covering the extension of the railway into Holt and the principle of a through transport service from the Bittern Line.
The Trust's Patron, Lord Walpole, had received news of the first land purchase with delight. “I am so pleased. So much work has been put into this project. Now we can see it starting to become real in no uncertain terms. I urge everyone who cares about public transport, the history and the future of the rail system, car-free tourism, the local economy and the Norfolk environment to support the next stage with any donations they can afford before the end of November.”
The Trust's immediate intention is to secure the land for the route, so that nothing can physically block the building of the railway, the construction of which will be subject to the normal statutory permissions and standards.
The plan, drawn up by expert railway engineers, W S Atkins, takes the railway for part of its route onto the wide area of land alongside the Holt bypass, the road having taken the original trackbed. There are detailed design issues but Norfolk County Council has made it clear that it has no objections in principle.
Trevor Bailey emphasised that the Trust's first concern was to restore train services to Holt and beyond in order to provide efficient and environmentally friendly public transport. “The North Norfolk Railway has already been reconnected to Network Rail's Bittern Line at Sheringham. We want to see Holt linked back into the national rail system, with travel
Local tourist organisations have welcomed the development. Mark Durrant, operations manager at Kelling Heath Holiday Park, said: "It looks like exciting times are ahead for the Melton Constable Trust with works now going ahead to prepare land for the potential extension to the heart of Holt itself. Tourism is the largest industry in the region and Kelling Heath fully support the proposals to improve the accessibility both to and from this unique part of North Norfolk.
“There is no doubt this development would increase visitor numbers to the region and provide a well needed boost to the shops, restaurants, accommodation providers and businesses not only in and around Holt but also in the wider North Norfolk area."
Donations can be made to The Melton Constable Trust, The Railway Institute, 6 Briston Road, Melton Constable, Norfolk, NR24 2DA.
Contact details: 01263 740044 or 07779 345437 (9.00 am to 5.00 pm) feedback@norfolk-orbital-railway.co.uk or www.norfolk-orbital-railway.co.uk.
JJ TAYLOR
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North Walsham Times 431 September 21st 2013
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