A few weeks ago work started to reunify the two halves of the Great Central Railway to create an 18 mile heritage line between Leicester and Ruddington.
What had seemed like a vision is now a step closer to becoming a reality.
For 3 years planning and fundraising have been taking place to “Bridge the Gap” e.g rebuild the bridge that was removed when the original Great Central line closed in the 1960’s. The new bridge will carry a single track over the four tracks of the main line between Derby and London St Pancras.
Trains that currently run from the the Great Central Railway –Nottingham, based in the Country Park, now have to stop just outside Loughborough, as the line ends.
This project will ultimately enable trains to continue to the southern terminus at Leicester North, where a new Heritage Lottery funded railway museum is being developed. Passengers will also be able to come from Leicester to Ruddington.
Timescales vary about when the completed railway will be open but hopefully within 5 years.
Barbara Breakwell