On this day in 1987, 37 years ago, the last scheduled train passed over Farnley Viaduct, the tight curvature rendering it unsuitable for the overhead electrification equipment being installed between King's Cross and Leeds.
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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.
Land occupied by the disused Wortley Curve in Leeds, which has been touted as a way of improving local rail services, will go to auction in the New Year.
A disused railway across Anglesey has become a battleground between rival groups, hoping to restore the corridor either as a railway or an active travel route
Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire county councils have organised an engagement event about transforming the disused Cardi Bach railway into a new walking and cycling route.
Northumberland Estates has submitted a planning application to undertake repairs to roof coverings, windows and glass windscreens on the south elevation of Alnwick's former railway station to make the building structurally sound and watertight.
A major milestone has been passed in Lichfield District Council’s project to establish a dedicated route for walkers and cyclists along a section of disused railway between Lichfield and Chasewater.
Work has begun on the second phase of work to establish the Rhondda Fach Active Travel Route along a disused railway, with phase one - a new shared path between the old colliery site and the gateway memorial in Maerdy - due for completion before Christmas.
Hopes for the restoration of the historic infilled bridge at Congham could be derailed after National Highways vowed to fight against the enforcement action.
An enforcement notice has been issued requiring National Highways to remove the infill from Congham bridge near King's Lynn by 10 April 2024, subject to any appeal.
A Lancashire caravan park, which carried out groundworks close to the Grade II-listed Martholme Viaduct without authority, has been refused retrospective planning permission.
Reinstatement of the disused railway between Portadown and Armagh is “technically deliverable”, with no significant engineering constraints, according to a study conducted by Aecom.
The Government must provide £20M to fund early work on reopening the Leamside line if it is serious about backing North East rail, a conference has been told.
The historic nine-arched Hareholme Viaduct, which now hosts a much-used cycling and walking route, is benefitting from major repairs after years of deterioration.
The Somerset & Dorset Railway Heritage Trust has completed its purchase of an important section of trackbed that is vital for its future expansion plans.
A major renovation project at Wingfield Station was completed in October, resulting in the building's absence from this year's national register of sites that are threatened by neglect, decay or inappropriate development.
Wheatley Viaduct in Halifax will see its damaged brickwork repaired and a new waterproofing system installed as part of a £1.2M refurbishment by National Highways.
Renowned artist Chris Rutterford has set his sights on completing a stunning mural in the Alloway railway tunnel by 2025 after being helped by 850 residents.
Plans have been approved for the construction of a visitor centre, car park and an active travel link to the eastern end of the Grade-II* listed Bennerley Viaduct.
A bid to rebuild a direct rail link between Beverley and York could benefit from HS2’s northern leg being scrapped, according to a local MP who is backing it.
MPs have met Rail Minister Huw Merriman to make their case for restoration of the Leamside line which ran between Gateshead and County Durham prior to its closure in 1964.
Unauthorised groundwork by a caravan park next to the Grade II-listed Martholme Viaduct have raised anger and questions about potential structural damage, rights of way and public safety.
Management at a caravan park want retrospective planning permission for unauthorised work adjacent to the landmark Martholme Viaduct where campaigners hope to create a new greenway between the Ribble Valley, Hyndburn and Burnley.
National Highways has completed the removal of infill from beneath Great Musgrave bridge in Cumbria, but no additional strengthening or weight restriction has been implemented despite the roads body's previous claims that the structure was weak.
Penistone's Victorian railway coal drops, described by developers as "hugely important", could be restored under new plans now out for public consultation.
The government has u-turned on its pledge to reopen the Leamside line less than 24 hours after it was announced as part of Rishi Sunak's "Network North".
National Highways has submitted plans to the Peak District National Park Authority for listed building consent for maintenance works to Millers Dale North Viaduct.
Residents are continuing to campaign against the proposed redevelopment of the historic Lydd station into a holiday park featuring pitches with mobile homes.
National Highways has been ordered remove the infill from beneath a 100-year-old bridge in Congham after its retroactive planning application was unanimously rejected by the local council.
Plans are progressing to create the Ormskirk to Burscough Linear Park which will see a shared cycle and footpath created along a disused railway between the two towns.
A plan to reopen the railway station at Pontrilas in Herefordshire has been killed off, with the county council declaring the investment would be “poor value for money”.
Heighington & Aycliffe Railway Station at Newton Aycliffe - dating from the early 19th Century and regarded by some as the "world's first" station - has been given Grade II* listed status.
A planning officer has recommended that National Highways' retrospective planning application to retain its infill at a disused railway bridge near King's Lynn should be refused.
An infilled railway bridge near Shepton Mallet looks set to get a new lease of life as part of an extension to the Strawberry Line active travel route.
Campaigners who fought to secure a replacement for Preston's crumbling Old Tram Bridge are calling for a progress report, as the deadline for delivery of the project moves closer.
Repairs are needed to the historic Hareholme Viaduct, which crosses the River Irwell between Rawtenstall and Bacup, and is now used to support a popular cycle route and footpath.
A historic bridge spanning the Isle of Wight steam railway is to be demolished by the heritage outfit despite years of time and money spent maintaining it.
The piers of a drowned railway viaduct, used during the construction of two reservoirs in the Peak District, have been captured on video during a recent dry spell.
Travelling across rural Somerset without a car is now a little bit easier after a new section of the Strawberry Line - mostly along the former Cheddar Valley railway - was opened to the public.
A community group has 'extended the hand of friendship' to Freemen with whom it had been unable to reach agreement over proposals to reuse part of the Alnwick-Cornhill line as a greenway.
The urban garden on Monk Bridge "a disused railway viaduct" has been completed as part of the Wellington Place development on the western fringe of Leeds city centre
Bath Road and Ham Wood viaducts near Shepton Mallet will be given a new lease of life after plans for an ambitious active travel route were approved by the local council.
A campaign to reopen the disused railway between Aberdeen and Buchan has seen a major boost as Aecom and Stantec have been awarded a £250,000 contract to undertake the latest phase of feasibility work.
Industry professionals are being invited to attend an open day at Catesby Tunnel, formerly part of the Great Central Railway, which has been converted into an aerodynamic testing facility serving the automotive sector.
Henbury's railway station, which closed to passengers in 1964, could be reopened as soon as next year as part of a line which could one day take passengers from Bristol to the new arena at Filton.
A decision on whether the historic Congham bridge, which was buried in stone and concrete by National Highways, should be returned to its previous state could be made within weeks.
National Highways has begun undoing what was described as an act of "cultural vandalism" by removing hundreds of tonnes of concrete and stone from Cumbria's Great Musgrave bridge.
Cotswold District Council has been granted permission to restore a former station building in Cirencester, engineered by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1841.
Plans have been submitted to construct an embankment for a pedestrian and cycling link to the eastern end of the Grade-II* listed Bennerley Viaduct, as well as a visitor centre, car park and other infrastructure.
A campaign to reopen a historic railway line through a nature reserve would be "hugely destructive" and not commercially viable, a conservation group has warned.
A passenger train has departed the heritage railway station at Great Torrington for the first time since November 1982 when regular services were withdrawn.
A consortium of contractors responsible for the repair and maintenance of the Historical Railways Estate has risen to the challenge, with 265 works completed over the last financial year.
Campaigners aiming to reinstate a disused railway through the Lake District National Park are confident momentum is gaining after more than 25 years fighting for their cause.
Details of a £700,000 scheme to upgrade the popular Cinder Track walking and cycling route along the former Scarborough-Whitby railway will be on display at a drop-in event.
A 19th-century goods shed at Bridlington Station has been given listed status thanks to the efforts of a local business whose staff feared it could be demolished.
The sky park at Castlefield Viaduct is to remain open to visitors until autumn 2024 after Manchester City Council granted the National Trust an extension to keep the locally-loved garden.
A pair of local councillors hope they are on the right track by proposing to convert a dismantled railway in Greenock into an active travel route and linear park.
Campaigners fighting to safeguard the future of the 1.4-mile long Queensbury Tunnel say they are still waiting to see a feasibility study three years after the government provided funding for it.
The disused Cardi Bach railway is due to see redevelopment as a cycle and walking route between Whitland and Cardigan, linking settlements in North East Pembrokeshire.
After causing outrage by infilling a historic railway bridge in Cumbria two years ago, National Highways has once again inflamed local feelings by closing the bridge for 13 weeks while it reverses the damage.
A detailed maintenance programme involving over 240 separate repairs has been completed on the six-arch Aurs Burn Viaduct, built in 1901, located in East Renfrewshire.
Two abutments that used to form part of a railway through Kilwinning have been earmarked for demolition by National Highways as part of its management programme for the Historical Railways Estate.
Work has begun on a further short stretch of the Strawberry Line active travel route between Wells and Cheddar, which largely occupies a disused railway.
A train has gone through Birchall Tunnel for the first time in 53 years as the Churnet Valley Railway continues its efforts to bring a rail service back to Leek.
The Ringwood Society has successfully secured a grant of £43,880 for a project to restore an area of land formerly part of the town's old railway which closed just under 60 years ago.
The much-anticipated unveiling of the new railway station in Corwen has taken place after almost £200,000 of levelling-up funding was awarded for works on the project.
An iconic Monmouthshire footbridge - formerly carrying Tintern's Wireworks branch line - has reopened to the public after nearly a year of extensive repairs.
Plans for a cycle route's final section - following a disused railway between Sutton and the Nene Valley Railway's station at Wansford - have been approved after a group fundraised £20,000 over a decade.
National Highways is facing opposition to a retrospective planning application to infill a historic railway bridge in Norfolk, one of four across the country involving breaches of permitted development rights.
Cycle routes across Warwickshire have been boosted by new government funding, including a section of the Lias Line - occupying the old railway between Leamington and Rugby - which will be extended after it was awarded £2.65million from Active Travel England.
A section of disused railway is to be converted into a £2.7m route for cyclists, walkers, runners and horse riders, transforming 3.5 miles of trackbed between Little Eaton and Rawson Green.
A bid to buy a historic railway building at Heighington, which hosted one of the world's oldest surviving steam locomotives, has been launched to protect it from future private development.
The former railway station and signal box at Edlingham "beautifully converted to provide guest accommodation" has gone on the market for almost £900K.
A longstanding ambition to connect a heritage railway to the mainline network in the south-east has taken a step forward after permission was granted to rebuild a section of a disused railway.
West Lancashire councillors have welcomed the latest work on a number of linear parks, some of which will see disused railways brought back into community use.
Thousands of people have signed a petition for a "much-needed" Bangor to Afon Wen railway reinstatement, connecting North Wales to a line through mid-Wales.
Hopes of a reinstated railway directly linking Carmarthen to Aberystwyth are unlikely to reach fruition in the next 30 or 40 years, Ceredigion councillors have been told.
A campaign to reinstate the Dumfries to Stranraer line has been relaunched to mark the 60th anniversary of the Beeching Report which led to its demise.
Work on the popular Grade II listed disused railway bridge spanning the River Wye at Tintern was not finished in time for walkers and cyclists to use it over the Easter holidays.
The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway has bought the Old Station House Inn restaurant, pub and adjoining house at Blackmoor Gate as part of plans for a future extension.
A North East MP and Government minister says he is "really interested" in plans to reopen the Leamside Line in the north-east but will not commit to funding it yet.
National Highways' Historical Railways Estate team is normally under fire for infilling Victorian railway bridges, but it has sensitively restored Avon Viaduct near Westfield.
The Grade II-listed Monk Bridge Viaduct - dating back to 1846 - is being transformed into a greenway and pedestrian path, while the archways beneath will be home to bars, restaurants and shops.
Planning permission has been granted to build three houses on a disused railway in Biggar despite previous concerns about restricting public transport opportunities.
Hopes of creating a new off-road cycle trail on a disused railway between Ottery St Mary and Tipton St John remain an 'aspiration' unless external funding can be found, it has been revealed.
Plans for a £5m bridge have been approved by councillors, allowing cyclists and walkers to travel between Oldham and Tameside along the route of an old railway viaduct.
A new walking and cycle trail on the former railway between Feniton and Sidmouth would create "considerable benefits" for the local area, a councillor has claimed.
A contractor has now been appointed to build stations at Pill and Portishead, bringing Network Rail a step closer to the restoration of the former Portishead railway which has been out of use since 1964.
People are getting their first look at Wirral Council's plan to create a new Dock Branch Park along the old railway which stretches from Tower Road to Green Lane station.
Planning permission has been granted to build three houses on a disused railway in Biggar despite previous concerns about restricting public transport opportunities.
National Highways faces a third intervention by a local authority over infilling after breaching the permitted development rights used to bury Norfolk's Congham bridge in tonnes of concrete.
More evidence has been revealed of a long-lost 19th Century railway on the beach at Barmouth, with submerged iron wheels and axles revealed in an area where the remains of a narrow-gauge track have been spotted.
A bat which was declared extinct in the UK in the 1990s is thought to be making a comeback after one was spotted in a disused railway tunnel in West Sussex.
The government has pulled its support for reinstatement of the Bury-Rochdale railway under the Restoring Your Railway Fund scheme, due to cost concerns.
An Irish Minister has attended meetings with engineering firm Arup and a British government-appointed rail expert to discuss a project that could bring trains back to Dungannon, Omagh and Strabane.
Campaigners have raised concerns about the infilling of a historic bridge at Congham over the former Lynn-Fakenham railway, saying it might affect the route's repurposing for active travel.
The delivery of a traffic-free active travel route across rural Somerset - mostly using disused railways - will continue despite financial pressures, a councillor says.
Repurposing of the 20-mile disused railway between King's Lynn and Fakenham could be amongst several proposed improvements to Norfolk's walking and cycling infrastructure, officials have revealed.
A village's hopes of getting a railway station back for the first time since the 1960s are still alive after councillors gave a housing development the green light.
The platforms of the formerly-busy railway station at Congresbury - from which strawberries were transported across Somerset - is set to be cleared of years of vegetation.
Pendle councillors have called for government clarity on prospects for reopening the Skipton-Colne railway which campaigners say could lead to faster travel right across the north and, in particular, boost east Lancashire towns.
