REOPENING the Skipton-Colne railway line could be vital in helping solve the shortage of rail services across the Pennines.

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling said a study to look into the feasibility of opening the line, which was announced earlier this year, was currently under way.

He said reopening the line could bring an economic boost as well as benefits to passengers by opening up better connections across the Pennines.

And he added it was important for East Lancashire to be a strong part of Transport for the North – the new strategic body making the case for transport improvements to support economic growth.

The body should not just be about big cities like Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds, Mr Grayling said.

“Transport for the North is doing a really good job. It’s providing a coherent strategy across the North, and East Lancashire has to be a strong part of that.

“I’m very determined that transport in the North isn’t just about Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Hull and Newcastle.

“There’s a shortage of rail capacity across the Pennines and [reopening the line] could be a solution to that. There’s also passenger needs.

“Transport in the North cannot just be about big cities, it’s got to be about places like East Lancashire and Cumbria and parts of the North East and North Yorkshire as well.

“I think there’s a real potential economic boost. There are not enough routes across the Pennines.

“You’ve got the connection and the principal routes – the M62 linking Manchester and Leeds – but as you go further north you don’t have the same quality of routes.

“That’s why we are committed to improving the A66 and why we are looking at things like the Skipton-Colne railway line because we need better connections across the Pennines all the way down.”

Earlier this month, it was revealed improving the Central Pennines Corridor from East Lancashire to West Yorkshire will be a key priority of the new Transport for the North agency.The body was officially given legal powers and an £80million annual budget earlier this monthat a board meeting in Liverpool.

Blackburn with Darwen Council regeneration boss, Cllr Phil Riley, and Lancashire County Council leader, Cllr Geoff Driver, are among those on the board of the new body.

Details were revealed of seven ‘strategic development corridors’ which will be priorities for TfN’s investment in road and rail improvements over the next 30 years.

The 12-mile Skipton-Colne line, which closed in 1970, could create a faster rail route across the Pennines and allow new passenger services between Lancashire, Skipton and Leeds, connecting towns on the route to new jobs and education opportunities.