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Site last updated: 16th February 2009. See the change log for details.
Remembering Richard Lovatt
died July 14th 2007
Director of GCR (Link) Ltd
and GCR plc
Committee member Friends of GC Main Line
and friend to many
The Great Central Railway is pleased to announce that feasibility study work for the "Bridging the Gap" project will begin shortly, following a significant funding announcement from the East Midlands Development Agency.
The six figure grant will go towards paying for a consultant firm to study development prospects for the Great Central Railway corridor between Nottingham and Leicester. The "Gap" project is central to uniting the two halves of the GCR and unlocking the economic potential of a 17 mile railway route. The southern section of the line would gain a main line connection, meaning it could expand the commercial services it already offers and the entire extended route could have potential uses far beyond tourist traffic.
It is expected the consultants will be asked to review other possibilities for development and expansion as part of their remit.
The East Midlands Development Agency said "Through Leicestershire Economic Partnership (LSEP), emda has approved funding towards a feasibility study to be completed by Charnwood Borough Council to assess the transport, tourism and economic potential of the Great Central Railway link. EMDA is pleased to support this prestigious and exciting project. The Great Central Railway is a valuable regional asset steeped in rail history, which is of significant importance to the economy of the East Midlands. Expanding the use of the line will have far-reaching benefits for both the railway and the region, through greater connectivity to improve the overall experience for tourists, the local community and visitors alike."
The Great Central Railway said, "We are delighted to have received a grant from the East Midlands Development Agency, through Charnwood Borough Council and Leicester Shire Economic Partnership. We should also thank Leicester Shire Promotions Ltd for their vital support. We have long believed the railway corridor through the East Midlands could be substantially developed, with potentially great reward for the local economy. The grant will be used towards these aims."
The GCR will itself need to raise a third of the funding to complete the feasibility study.
The process of appointing a firm of consultants to carry out the study will begin shortly, with the study itself, expected to be underway by March 31st 2009. The Great Central Railway will release more information about the breadth of the study and the timescales involved once work has begun.
Tony Sparks, a director of GCR and GC Link said "This is the culmination of much behind the scenes work by a lot of people from the railways both sides of the "gap".
The steering group "Greater Great Central Railway" has immersed itself in plans and presentations to reach this point. The work won't stop here, as the consultants will need support during the feasibility study.
Hopefully the feasibility study will prove our arguments about economic benefits to the region, but there will still be the massive task of convincing commercial partners to join us on this journey. During that time the work of ensuring both halves of the separate railways remain viable also continues.
This is another step on the road to the reunited GCR. A feasibility study, which broadens into looking at economic potential, all helps towards building the business case for the project. We'll have more news once the study is underway"
In late February 2007, Charnwood Borough Council gave consent, subject to final approval of plans, to the use of the Allsopps Lane tip site for the erection of the Loughborough Loco Works Project (LLWP). This exciting scheme will enable the erection of a new loco shed with all associated facilities, branching off the projected main line north of the existing loco shed. Not only will this project give great environmental benefits to local housing, but will clear the way for the future bridging of the Gap, with resolution of many works to the north of Loughborough station. Works for LLWP share infrastructure with the Gap scheme, and is therefore a benefit all round. See the up-date in the 'Progress' section, and follow the links to the LLWP website.
Loughborough has a rich railway history. At one point it was on three railway lines, was the home of the world renowned Brush Falcon Works and boasted two main line stations both with crack expresses to and from London. Beeching era cuts in the 1960's saw one of these main lines, the Great Central, close. The part of this line from Loughborough south to Birstall became the famous Great Central Railway (GCR) preserved line, operating heritage trains so that new generations can experience the thrill of steam. North of Loughborough, the line was still used until the 1980's to carry freight for the British Gypsum works at Hotchley Hill just outside of East Leake. This section of line is now also preserved in the hands of the Great Central Railway (Nottingham) (GCR(N)) and once again sees freight trains and passenger services.
Unfortunately these two preserved lines are currently separated from
one another; the bridge that carried the original Great Central
Railway over the Midland Main Line was removed by British Rail as late
as 1980, along with the embankment up to the Grand Union canal,
although trackwork was removed by the 1970's. The two preserved
railways aim to reinstate this missing link and bridge "The Gap" as it
has become known. To that end a new company, Great Central Railway
(Link) Ltd., was formed with the intention of investigating the
feasibility of such a project and, if possible, executing it.
Initial studies and costings were drawn up in 1996 that showed that the scheme was technically viable. However it was also likely to be expensive and at the time both preserved railways already had many costly projects underway. The GCR(Link) company was put on hold until such time as it was felt that the two railways might be able to move forward with the project. This reactivation occurred in 2003 when it was decided to seek sources of funding for the link and update the original feasibility study.
Whilst we would all like to see the Link in operation as soon as possible, we are under no illusions that there is a huge task ahead in planning, funding and construction. The completed scheme, whether single or double track, is a few years away yet.
This web site is intended to provide some background history of the Great Central and the The Gap, presentation of possible plan of works for bridging the Gap and news of progress. We also have a gallery of images, past and present, of the line and the missing bridges. If you wish to know more or wish to get involved with the project, please contact us.
The achievement of our objective will have far-reaching effects on the railway itself, the experience that we can provide for our visitors, the local community and economy, and for tourism.
It will transform the two preserved sections of The Great Central Railway into one 18 mile long main line. This will provide a uniquely suitable stamping ground for larger preserved locomotives, both steam and diesel. As access to the Network Rail system becomes increasingly modernised and classic steam and diesel trains becomes less compatible with new generation stock, this facility will grow in value. The existing chord line to the national system will enhance the travel possibilities even further.
The greater Great Central will also be able to provide a more varied and thorough immersion into what large scale railway operation used to be like. So, for the railway enthusiast the historian and anyone interested in an aspect of our past that was commonplace 40 years ago but has now almost vanished, this project offers the prospect of a truly unique experience.
For the general tourist and day tripper, the bridging of the gap will provide an experience greater and more varied than either of the two presently separate railways will be able to provide. By creating a destination on the scale of the completed main line, the project will generate many journey opportunities not previously possible. Running through the heart of the East Midlands, the greater Great Central will attract visitors from a large area who will be able to access the line in a variety of ways.
The scale, ambition and novelty of the scheme will attract local and national media attention, and become a focus for heritage railways in general. This will have spin off benefits for this part of the East Midlands, raising its profile and providing a direct boost for the local economy, most significantly through building up tourism in an area not traditionally connected with that industry.
The regeneration of the rail corridor will open up new attractions into Leicestershire for the people of Nottinghamshire, and vice versa. It will encourage employment on and off the railway. Similar schemes on other heritage railways have been proved to have an upward effect on local house prices and security generally, and to deter vandalism.
To mark the launch of Great Central Railway (Link) Ltd. and the reactivation of The Gap project, the two arms of the preserved Great Central Railway made the following public statement:
The Directors of Great Central Railway plc at Loughborough, and Great Central Railway (Nottingham) Ltd. at Ruddington would make the following joint statement. GCR plc and GCR(N) Ltd. feel that conditions are now right to press forward with a full and detailed assessment of the viability, design and costs of the physical link between the two presently separated lines. Great Central Railway (Link) Ltd. was formed for the specific role of Bridging the Gap, and it has been authorised by both railways to move ahead. With an augmented Board of construction and financial professionals, GCR (Link) Ltd. has already met to review the earlier work done, and to map out the prospects for the scheme. It is the intention to produce a full assessment of the project for presentation to both operating Companies, and regular meetings will now be held.
Chairman of GCR (Link) Ltd. Tony Sparks said,
This is a great opportunity to get this prestigious and exciting scheme assessed, and with the blessing of both operating Companies we can now really get to grips with realising the dream of the Greater Great Central. If we can prove the viability, then we would have an 18-mile heritage railway in the top league.
Tony Sparks started in railway civil engineering in 1956, when he joined British Railways at Kings Cross. Projects worked on in those days included the London Tilbury and Southend line electrification, Temple Mills Yard and various other schemes within the Eastern region Bridge and New Works departments. Married and with a grown-up family, he was until recently a Director of GCR (Nottingham) Ltd., and now works in the construction industry co-ordinating multi-million pound projects from inception to completion. He is 63 years old, and has ONC and HNC in Civil Engineering.
Peter Morley is a Chartered Management Accountant with a lifelong interest in railways. He studied Chemistry at London University and he trained in accountancy the 1980s with OCL (now P&O Nedlloyd) and then in 1988 joined Deloitte Haskins + Sells. Since 1991 he has been a Director of Insight Management & Systems Consultants Limited which is a niche specialist financial consultancy which works mostly with UK central government departments. He lives in Westcliff-on-Sea and enjoys the sea view.
Tom has been volunteering at the Great Central Railway for 17 years. He is actively involved in the operating of the railway and the restoration of DMU's. Professionally he has worked in television as a reporter for around ten years. He currently works for the BBC in Yorkshire, based in Sheffield, filing for the city's radio station and the 6.30 local magazine programme.
We welcome your comments and questions about the Bridging the Gap project. We do not have all the answers at the moment, and this will remain the case for some time. However, we will be happy to answer any queries you have as best we can. Neither do we have a monopoly of good ideas or wisdom. So if you have any thoughts or views about how the project could be progressed, please take a moment to let us know. In either case, please send us an e-mail.
This website designed by Steve Hallam and Tony Sparks, and constructed by Jon Knight. Header design by Ian Wilson. Scanning and CAD work by Chad Gray.
Some of the images on this site are scanned from non-digital sources, and therefore may not reflect the quality of the original photo. If any photo has an incorrect or missing acknowledgement, then we apologise for the error, and would be pleased to hear from you so that we can correct it.
