MP and heritage rail company win award for DIY train service on the Lakes Line

Local MP Tim Farron and heritage rail company West Coast Railways were today presented with an award by the campaign group Railfuture for the interim service they provided on the Lakes Line last summer.

Back in June, Northern suspended all services on the line, which runs from Oxenholme to Windermere, for the entire month.

But after days of negotiating between Tim, Network Rail and the Department for Transport, Carnforth-based West Coast Railways were able to step in to provide a reliable and free service for a fortnight.

Tim said: "I was absolutely delighted to receive the award from Railfuture alongside West Coast Railways.

"The service that the guys at West Coast provided was absolutely first class and they showed our multi-million-pound rail companies a thing or two about how you run a train service.

"We were overwhelmed with the amount of people that got in touch to say how glad they were to have this service and it was just great to see people enjoying travelling on the Lakes Line again.

"It was a common-sense solution, and a victory for the can-do over the can't-do.

"But more than anything, it showed that when our community gets left behind by those in power, we don't just give up - we come together, roll up our sleeves and get things done."