Furness Line Action Group (FLAG) is supporting Cumbrian MPs, Councils and business groups in their efforts to secure local rail investment (letter to Louise Haigh, Transport Secretary, 10th July). FLAG has issued a statement highlighting several key issues that should be addressed.

The new Government should:

1.  Ensure that funding released by the cancellation of the Northern leg of HS2 is earmarked for alternative rail projects in the North, and that Cumbria receives a fair share.

2.  Modernise signalling and automate level crossings on the Coast Line north of Barrow. The economic justification will come from new nuclear reactor build at Moorside which will generate additional freight and passenger traffic. Cumbrian Energy Coast studies have been pushing Network Rail for the upgrade since 2005.

3.  Maintain and improve service frequencies and times of first and last trains. Ensure better reliability, currently impacted by staff sickness levels and reliance on voluntary overtime at weekends.

4.  Improve integration between rail and bus with interchanges at railway stations wherever possible. Windermere and Grange are good examples of what can be achieved, while bus stops at Barrow and Ulverston are some distance from the station.

5.  Ensure that the Furness and Cumbrian Coast lines are promoted in all tourist literature to encourage greener means of travel.

6.  Current 40-year-old Sprinter trains are due to be replaced, during the 2030s, by new battery/hybrid units. Ensure these are designed with input from passengers. Seats should align with windows; USB connectivity should be above table height. More space is needed for luggage and cycles, with grab-rails/straps in the vestibule. We need step-free, gap-free access from platforms, for the whole length of the train, either by platform raising, “Harrington humps” or variable height steps on the train.

7.  Improve passenger access between platforms at railway stations. Ulverston and Arnside are particularly poor; we must ensure that the Access For All grant already obtained for Ulverston results in a step-free solution where all platforms can be accessed without reliance on rail staff.

8.  Re-examine the case for re-opening the Penrith to Keswick branch to provide a direct connection from the main line, reducing road traffic and congestion in the Lake District.

FLAG spokesperson Derek Walmsley said “Whilst supporting the efforts of our local MPs and councils, our proposals go further, but are realistic and deliverable if the Government is serious about its mission to promote green economic growth.”