A heritage rail company that stepped in to provide an emergency summer train service on the Lakes Line when Northern couldn’t run trains in June 2018 has been given an award from rail campaigning organisation Railfuture.
Pat Marshall, Director of Carnforth-based West Coast Railway Co was presented with the Railfuture Judges’ Special Award at a ceremony on 18 January 2019 in recognition of its success in running ‘The Lakelander’ special service between Oxenholme and Windermere.
“The judges were so impressed that they decided to make a Special Award to West Coast Railways. They were recognised for launching their special loco-hauled ‘Lakelander’ service for Windermere. In a couple of weeks in June, when Northern withdrew all their services, they carried 17,000 passengers in just that fortnight.”
– RAILFUTURE DIRECTOR ROGER BLAKE
Local MP Tim Farron was also given an award for his work at the time.
“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.”
– TIM FARRON, MP FOR WESTMORLAND AND LONSDALE (LIB DEM)
0113 2082620
info@railbusinessdaily.com
15 Mariner Court, Wakefield WF4 3FL
