Update On The Line, May '26

The question we are most often asked by members of the public is where everything is up to with the Poulton to Fleetwood railway line.

Alongside establishing a heritage centre, one of our key objectives remains pushing for the reopening of the line.

Following on from the dismay of the incoming Labour administration cancelling the £500m Restoring Your Railway fund in 2024 (read the full story on our about us page), there are now positive noises being made once more.

MP Support

Our local MP, Lorraine Beavers, has been very supportive of the line and has raised it in parliament several times.

She is also engaging with key stakeholders including the Rail Minister, Department for Transport, Lancashire County Council, Northern Rail, interested business parties and the PWRS.

Plus has signed up for membership of the PWRS to help support our own efforts.

There is nothing concrete at present and the information presented below is intended to show the situation as it stands at this moment. Some, all, or indeed none of it may actually come to pass.

As previously, the options for the railway remain heavy rail and / or a light rail / tram solution.

Heavy Rail

The biggest argument for heavy rail is for freight to once more run on the line as it did previously.

Fox Group, run by CEO Paul Fox who grew up in Thornton, is set to purchase Fleetwood Docks from Associated British Ports, alongside Silloth Port in Cumbria.

Their intention is to run the two ports as an ongoing concern, handling cargo and catering for marina users.

Fox Group have already reopened Leyland Railhead, allowing aggregates to be transported by rail as part of their sustainability initiatives. Rail allows larger amounts of material to be delivered far more efficiently and greener than the equivalent road journeys.

It is speculative, but this could apply too to the idea of landing aggregates at Fleetwood and transporting them by rail.

The track bed is in place barring a small final section beyond Jameson Road which would need some thought as to direction. The bridge at Jameson Road would need to be rebuilt or excavated, along with the less complicated reinstatement of a connection at Poulton.

Even with the potential complication of crossing Windward Road, this solution could only ever go as far as the docks given the development that has taken place since the railway was closed.

However, as it is unlikely the line would be running freight at all times of the day, the potential of this solution could remain to provide a passenger service with car park to serve the people of Fleetwood.

Other potential beneficiaries or arguments for the reinstatement of heavy rail include the long debated Wyre Tidal Barrage and the Hillhouse Energy from Waste Plant, the proposed power station for Hillhouse Business Park on the former ICI site.

Both would require the delivery of significant raw materials for building for which rail freight would be ideal. And the latter could benefit from the delivery of waste otherwise destined for landfill.

As suggested above, this is all speculation at present, but should it come to pass, it would be a significant boost for the Fleetwood peninsula in terms of jobs, regeneration and connectivity.

Light Rail / Tram

Light rail or tram has also been discussed as an option for the line to reintroduce passenger services and connect Fleetwood and Thornton more readily with Poulton-le-Fylde and the rail network beyond.

There are significant factors that work in favour of this proposal, including support from local MP, Lorraine Beavers.

The route fits in very well with Lancashire County Council's East / West Corridor as outlined in their Local Transport Plan and would help regenerate the Fleetwood area.

In discussions, Northern Rail have expressed an interest in running services on the line which would connect Fleetwood with Preston and beyond.

The line has consistently been in the top 2-3 lines in the country voted to be reopened by the Association of Train Operating Companies and may now be number one after work on Bristol to Portishead is to go ahead.

A light rail / tram option could also be cheaper to reinstate and offers the opportunity to connect directly into Fleetwood to the existing tram network.

In addition to the track bed being largely in place, there are very few expensive elements along the line which might make reopening prohibitive.

There is only one filled in bridge at Jameson Road, no inclines and only a small number of potential crossing points to reinstate. Unlike with heavy rail, crossing roads is far less of a barrier and would only require traffic light signalling as is already used in Cleveleys and Fleetwood.

Another obvious factor is the fact that under the previous Conservative administration, the reopening of the Poulton to Fleetwood line had passed a feasibility study phase and was in the hands of Network Rail to produce a detailed plan of work as part of the subsequently cancelled Restoring Your Railway fund. More details on our about us page.

This means much of the feasibility work that might be required has already been done and could be referenced once more for any future efforts.

In Conclusion

All signs are positive, but there is more to be done. The PWRS will continue to push for the reinstatement of this historic railway line, which was the first in the world to be laid down to a seaside resort.

Watch this space!