On this day 56 years ago, closure brought traffic to an end on the tranquil Great North of Scotland line over the 588-tonne Spey Viaduct.
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Against the odds, the UK’s network of disused railway lines continues to make the news as the 21st Century throws up a host of transport, environmental and health challenges.This news page will provide links to relevant stories.
Councils are seeking funds for a feasibility study into the expansion of Blackpool's tram network by reusing the trackbed of the disused railway between south Fleetwood and Poulton le Fylde.
North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson says the line between Oswestry and the mainline at Gobowen could be returned to service relatively easily and has already met with the Transport Secretary to discuss the idea.
Cyclists in Devon have been given an early Christmas present with the opening of the Wray Valley Trail, mostly within the Dartmoor National Park and following a disused railway.
The West Yorkshire Combined Authority has submitted a £23M bid to fund a cycle route connecting Bradford and Halifax via the disused railway tunnel under Queensbury, a scheme it describes as a 'significant opportunity'.
Workers have begun to clear the old colliery line behind Gedling's former station building, making way for a heritage trail which will take walkers past some of the area's most historic sites.
The Heath Rail Link group hopes to re-establish passenger services on the disused line connecting Heathfield and Newton Abbot in Devon, 60 years after they ended.
A disused railway bridge carrying a cycle path is under threat of demolition after its owner, Redditch Borough Council, insisted it could not afford the cost of an annual survey.
The disused Wingfield Station, one of the UK's most at risk buildings, is about to be rescued and restored thanks to a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Prime minister Boris Johnson has pledged to reopen the disused railway between Poulton and Fleetwood which he says could bring jobs and growth to the Fylde coast.
The old railway tunnel in Colinton - now open as part of a footpath - has been transformed by a local artist who was inspired by the works of Robert Louis Stevenson.
A donation from a housing developer has helped boost a study to recommend possible routes for the extension of the Nidderdale Greenway, along the trackbed of a disused railway.
Councillors are backing plans to look at extending the proposed Wharfedale Greenway - which will occupy a disused railway - through Ben Rhydding and Ilkley.
Ambitious plans have been revealed to reopen the old railway between Worcester and Leominster for walkers, cyclists and horseriders as a working group sets out its aims for the route.
The Grade II* listed Bennerley Viaduct has been included on a list of the most at-risk world monuments, alongside globally recognised sites such Notre Dame in Paris and Easter Island in Chile.
A disused railway in the west of the Isle of Man could be turned into a safe walking and cycling route, according to the island's infrastructure minister.
North Somerset MP Liam Fox has called on the government to keep its promise to help fund the reopening of the Portishead line following 10 years of uncertainty related to spiralling costs.
Campaigners in West Yorkshire who want to turn Queensbury Tunnel into the UK's longest cycling tunnel have accused Highways England of over-reaction in announcing emergency infilling works following recent heavy rain in the area.
Swindon's heritage railway has kicked off the first phase of a major campaign to fund-raise for a long-awaited return to Cricklade, needing to raise £100,000 just for starters.
The Shakespeare Line Promotion Group wants authorities to look into reopening the railway line between Stratford-upon-Avon and Honeybourne, saying it would provide better connectivity for growing populations in the area.
Work at the historic Queensbury Tunnel has had to be scaled down due to flooding after water was 'deliberately diverted', Highways England has alleged.
Keswick Town Council has passed a motion of no confidence in the Lake District National Park Authority over its decision to tarmac a section of former railway between Threlkeld and Keswick which was heavily damaged by Storm Desmond in 2015.
The campaign group set up to reinstate the old railway between Carlisle and the Scottish Borders has been told plans to bring it to fruition are 'absolutely rock solid'.
Urban explorers have been condemned for 'compromising safety' after entering Queensbury Tunnel and capturing a collection of striking images showing the ongoing works to strengthen the structure.
Around 1,700 people have taken part in the Tweed Valley Tunnel Trail Run which includes a subterranean lighting finale in the disused Neidpath Tunnel near Peebles.
Redditch Borough Council is facing criticism following its decision to demolish a disused railway bridge carrying a greenway, thus forcing walkers and cyclists to cross a busy commuter rat-run.
Construction work has started on a scheme to transform Leeds' disused Monk Bridge Viaduct into a High Line-style greenway and pedestrian path, while the archways beneath will be home to bars, restaurants and shops.
The National Grid wants to remove eight pylons east of the Woodhead Tunnel and replace them with an underground cable along the Trans Pennine Trail, putting paid to any chance of reopening the old line between Sheffield to Manchester.
It has been revealed that Scottish Ministers don't have the power to extend the Borders Railway to Carlisle whilst the UK government has cast doubts over its likely benefits.
A procession of more than 400 cyclists and walkers has celebrated the opening of a new section of the East Lancashire Cycleway, passing through two disused railway tunnels which have been out of use for more than half a century.
The Victorian Society has thrown its weight behind a campaign to bring new life to the 1.4-mile long Queensbury Tunnel, including it amongst the Top 10 Most Endangered Buildings in 2019.
The prospect of restoring Hunstanton's rail link to cut congestion and bring economic benefits has been handed a boost, with Norfolk County Council set to explore whether it would be viable to reopen it.
Members of the public have been given the opportunity to explore the disused Miley tunnel in Preston which is being monitored during major overhead roadworks.
Bolton Council has been criticised by a heritage campaigner after it ignored his alternative proposal for a historic loco works which is set to be demolished for a new road.
In its 40th anniversary year, the Bristol and Bath Railway Path is set to receive a £1.1 million programme of improvements, focussed on a stretch between Fishponds and its start in St Philip's.
A new long distance bike trail connecting the very north of mainland Scotland to the north of England - partly using disused railways - has been launched.
A decade-long scheme to reopen the railway between Portishead and Bristol will take a huge step forward next month when North Somerset Council submits a Development Consent Order to the Government.
A group hoping to reopen a former railway on Anglesey has hit back at claims that the area would be better served by converting it into a dedicated traffic-free route for cycling and walking.
Council officers will examine whether a new mass public transport system in Warrington will need to use a disused railway line over the Manchester Ship Canal.
The Scottish Government has announced that it will spend an estimated £70m bringing trains back to Levenmouth, in another reversal of the Beeching-era cuts that decimated much of the country's rail network.
Businesses in Liverpool's Baltic Triangle have welcomed proposals that could see the reopening of St James Station, located in a cutting between Central and Brunswick stations.
The campaign to turn Queensbury Tunnel into England's longest cycle tunnel has received a boost in the form of a defiant landowner who refuses to let Highways England abandon it.
Members of West Devon Borough Council have been told that the costs of reinstating the Tavistock to Bere Alston rail link is now in the region of £70 million and adequate funding is not currently available.
Campaigners have welcomed the allocation of £10m for a study into the viability of extending the Borders Railway south-west to Carlisle as part of the Borderlands growth deal.
Efforts to create a foot and cycle connection between Bradford and Halifax - via Queensbury Tunnel - look set to shift up a gear with the publication of an 'advocacy document' to support funding bids.
More than a decade after plans to reopen the railway to Portishead were taken up by Bristol and North Somerset councils, the scheme is now ready to be submitted to Government for formal approval.
A date has finally been set to remove a disused railway bridge in Nuneaton after years at the centre of frustrating traffic congestion when wagons have become wedged beneath it.
Otley Town Council has approved funding for a bat survey in support of the Wharfedale Greenway which aims to transform a disused railway line into a walking and cycling route between Pool-in-Wharfedale and Menston.
Manchester's Mayfield Depot could be transformed into a huge new music, theatre, film, food and arts venue, managed by some of the people behind Parklife and the Warehouse Project.
The biggest upgrade of the East Coast Main Line in a generation will see signalling equipment removed from a disused tunnel at King's Cross prior to track being relaid through it.
Campaigners fighting to save Queensbury Tunnel from abandonment have asked supporters to 'stand up and make our voices heard' after plans to infill the historic structure were officially lodged by Highways England.
The two final stages of the Wray Valley Trail that links Bovey Tracey and Moretonhampstead via on old branch line should be complete by the end of the year.
A campaign to reopen the former railway line between Skipton and Colne has received another boost after it was announced as a winning project in the Great British Transport Competition.
Plans have been submitted to lay a section of track on a former railway in North Devon which was closed back in 1970...but it would only be 10 metres long!
Scrapping the controversial HS2 project would free-up enough cash to bankroll 28 critical transport projects across Britain, including the reopening of several disused railways.
UK Government ministers have confirmed their commitment to carrying out a study into the feasibility of extending the Borders Railway into England and are calling on their Scottish counterparts to do likewise.
Steeped in history, Bristol's Clifton Rocks Railway could become the city's newest visitor attraction after being bought by a new owner who has plans to reopen it as a museum.
Enthusiasts are hoping to breathe new life into the three-mile Maerdy branch line in Rhondda Cynon Taff, 55 years since passengers last trundled along it.
A member of the Welsh Assembly believes that a railway bridge, damaged when a lorry got wedged underneath it, should be reinstated to help local enthusiasts revive the disused Anglesey Central Railway.
Cyclists and Council members have come together to celebrate the official opening of a new £250,000 greenway along a disused mineral railway which will improve access and boost wildlife at Cotgrave Country Park.
A disused Victorian viaduct in Hammersmith is being lined up as London's answer to New York's High Line linear park, with a competition launched to find ideas to restore the structure for public use.
A new cycle route along a disused Leicestershire railway - which was intended to serve as a memorial for a 13-year-old boy killed while cycling - has been blocked by local landowner.
The campaign to extend the Borders Railway to Hawick or Carlisle has received a major boost with the Government announcing its backing for a feasibility study.
A huge Victorian railway goods station in Hull has been revealed for the first time in decades as nearby buildings are demolished to make way for a redevelopment of the site.
Thousands have signed a petition to protect a cycle path along a disused railway between Chippenham and Calne following the revelation that Wiltshire Council is considering its closure to cut costs.
Subject to planning and listed building consent, work to install a walkway across Bennerley Viaduct could begin by the end of the summer, with a funding target of £690,000.
Proposals to introduce a more direct rail link between Perth and Edinburgh - by reopening a line that closed in 1970 - are to be examined by Transport Scotland.
Reopening the disused line between Caernarfon and Bangor would cost £16m per mile but bring more than 7,000 people within walking distance of a main line station, according to a new report.
A prospective local Councillor in Leicester has suggested that the city's disused Glenfield Tunnel could be brought back into use as a cycle and walking route.
Judith Cummins, the MP for Bradford South, has accused Highways England of trying to 'kill off by stealth' plans to reopen Queensbury Tunnel as a foot and cycle path.
Plans to restore a hidden derelict platform beneath Glasgow Central are 'on the right track', Network Rail has revealed as Scotland's busiest station prepares to star in a new BBC series.
Long-awaited plans to create a 12-mile walk along the old railway line from Barnard Castle to Bishop Auckland have been dropped from a flagship policy.
Highways England has announced a £17 million investment in walking and cycling projects in Cornwall, including a multi-use trail along a disused railway between Perranporth and Newquay.
Competing visions have been laid out about whether the disused railway line between Fleetwood and Poulton should be restored for use by trains or trams.
A new walking and cycling route is set to be built along a disused railway track between Green Row Bridge at Methley Junction and Castleford, following approval from Leeds City Council.
Walkers and cyclists could soon be passing through the 1,188 yard long disused Tidenham Tunnel as part of a 'Wander Wye' path bid to link Tintern to Chepstow.
A £5 billion rail network expansion programme to reach the most disconnected and disadvantaged communities by reopening closed lines and repurposing freight routes has been proposed by campaigners.
County officers are planning to create five public rights of way along the old railway line to Barnard Castle which, for the most part, will be three metres wide and stretch more than two kilometres.
Bradford Council will support plans to turn Queensbury Tunnel into an underground cycle way, but says it currently cannot commit to undertaking the project with its tightening budget.
Network Rail has announced that it will soon begin to clear the northern section of the disused Folkestone Harbour branch as talks continue with local stakeholders about potential uses for it within the community.
East West Railway Company has announced it is seeking specialist partners to deliver the central section of its reinstated line between Cambridge and Bedford, after publishing a prior information notice.
The Environment Agency is investigating concerns that a stream could be polluted by an operation to pump around 6.6 million gallons of floodwater out of Queensbury Tunnel.
Friends of the Earth Scotland is calling for an evaluation of the costs, environmental and health benefits that could be gained from reopening disused railways in Angus.
Millers Dale Station on the former London-Manchester main line through the Peak District will reopen as a cafe and visitor centre in the spring following a £230,000 project.
The disused Goldsborough Station is set to be transformed into a new park and ride facility called Flaxby Parkway Station, 60 years after passengers last used it.
Planning chiefs have been urged to look to their consciences after they approved a controversial scheme to infill a disused railway cutting in Heckmondwike for a housing scheme.
Three years after a study earmarked five disused railway tunnels in Wales for reopening as cycling and walking routes, one is now in use and work is underway to open two more by 2021.
A special service will run from Edinburgh to Tweedbank to mark the 50th anniversary of the Waverley line's closure, as the campaign to reopen more of it gains momentum.
