The railway between Huddersfield and Penistone was just one of dozens of lines which were earmarked to close in the infamous Beeching report, published in March 1963.

Today, the line enjoys a better service than it has ever had, with hourly weekday trains and a two-hourly service on Sundays.

The Penistone Line Partnership – a voluntary group which supports and promotes the line in co-operation with Arriva Trains Northern, and South and West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executives - is certain that the threat of closure has gone for ever.

Its famous music train is just one of dozens of activities which have made it ‘Britain’s number 1 fun railway’ (according to The Guardian)!

The 1963 report, authored by Dr Richard Beeching – The Re-Shaping of British Railways – caused a storm of protest the length and breadth of the country, but sadly many lines succumbed to the Beeching Axe

The Huddersfield -Penistone Line. Did survive and beat off subsequent closure attempts.

It was only in the late 1980s that the last attempt at closing the line was defeated, said PLP chairman Dr Paul Salveson.

Today, we’re confident that the line can look forward to a great future thanks to the support it gets from the passenger transport executives in West and South Yorkshire and the growing numbers of people who use it every day for work or leisure’

PLP co-ordinator Brian Barnsley played the part of the infamous axe-wielding doctor in The Trial of Dr Beeching – a mock-trial staged at Nottingham’s Galleries of Justice two years ago.

There was more to Beeching than just a callous axeman said Brian. Reading up on the man, I must admit I quite warmed to him. There were some lines which should not have been in the report – like ours – but others clearly had no future.

Some lines which did close have since been reopened – at considerable cost. These include the Robin Hood Line, between Nottingham and Worksop, and the line to Aberdare in South Wales.

There are several lines in Yorkshire which could be contenders for reopening in the future, as traffic congestion worsens and the need for a safer, greener alternative becomes stronger.

The Woodhead Line, between Manchester, Penistone and Sheffield, is a railway which should never have closed, says Dr Salveson. It wasn’t even in the Beeching Report, but was closed by BR in 1981. It would have major strategic importance for the Northern regions and take pressure off the M62.

A Countryside Agency report on rail reopenings in Yorkshire and the Humber – written by Paul Salveson and colleague Jo Barnes - will be launched at a seminar in Leeds on 17 April 2003.

For details and press invitation ring David Fanaroff at the Countryside Agency on 0113 246 9222 or Paul on 01484 549737 or mobile (see below).

Information from: Paul Salveson 07971 884241 or Brian Barnsley 01226 370338
PENISTONE LINE PARTNERSHIP, St John’s Community Centre, Church Street, Penistone S36 9AR Phone/fax: 01226 370338