Ecclesbourne Valley Railway to Open In Full Next April

The following press release may be of inerest to the forum:

FOR IMMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Ecclesbourne Valley Railway
Contact: Neil Ferguson-Lee
Email neilfl@wyvernrail.co.uk

GREEN LIGHT FOR APRIL OPENING: DUFFIELD TO WIRKSWORTH TO OPEN IN THE SPRING
WIRKSWORTH RETURNS TO RAILWAY NETWORK WITH CONNECTIONS TO DERBY, LONDON PARIS AND BRUSSELS


Wirksworth, 1st December, 2010: The Ecclesbourne Valley Railway is delighted to announce that the entire Duffield to Wirksworth branch line will open to the public in early April 2011.

Following a ten-year restoration project, the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway will become an operational passenger railway after a ‘pause’ of 64 years and will offer a four or more train service between Duffield and Wirksworth at weekends and on other operating days in the season between April and October.

The initial timetable has been designed to connect with East Midlands Trains’ Nottingham to Matlock service and this opens-up connection opportunities to other national rail destinations including London and, via Eurostar, to Paris and Brussels. Every service from Wirksworth has a connection to both European capitals.

Further details of the reopening programme will be released nearer to the time and more information can be found at www.e-v-r.com.

Ends.

Briefing for Editors:
This is an important event which has been the result of 300,000 hours of volunteer effort, £600,000 of share capital and £900,000 of support from a range of grant-awarding bodies, including the East Midlands Development Agency, Awards for All, The Derbyshire Aggregates Levy Grant Scheme and The Local Heritage Initiative.

A significant media event will take place on at the opening ceremony and the press are invited to attend. Please contact Neil Ferguson-Lee at neilfl@wyvernrail.co.uk for further details.


About the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway:
WyvernRail plc is working with the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway Association to reopen the Duffield to Wirksworth railway in the heart of Derbyshire.
The line passes through the beautiful Ecclesbourne Valley to the award winning and beautifully restored town of Wirksworth, nestling at the foothills of the Peak District.
The line is a time capsule, with its intermediate stations largely intact and the layout at Wirksworth virtually unchanged since the days of steam.
There are 8½ miles of single-track railway, which meet the Midland Main Line at Duffield Junction near Derby. There are five station sites, two level crossings, a yard with extensive sidings and a mineral branch to the old Middlepeak quarry at Wirksworth. Since 2004, 4½ miles of the line have been reopened and it is planned to complete the reopening in April 2011.

 

Can't wait to sample the branch, only an hour or so on the train from me

 

You won't be disappointed! Our vegetation clearance team have made great efforts to open-up the views, while Wirksworth is a fascinating destination in its own right.

Neil