Patrick McLoughlin, Secretary of State for Transport, travelled on the Settle-Carlisle line last week. He met the new Managing Director of Northern Rail, Alex Hynes, at Settle, then travelled on a scheduled Northern service to Ribblehead where he had a meeting with representatives of the Settle-Carlisle Railway Development Company and the Settle-Carlisle Railway Trust. He was able to see at first hand the restored Stationmaster's House at Ribblehead and the Visitor Centre.
The DevCo gave him a comprehensive account of their activities in promoting passenger traffic on the line and their success in supporting the local economy. They stressed the need for better and more predictable trains on the Settle-Carlisle Line if we are to develop passenger traffic any further.
By the time he got to Appleby the message appeared to have sunk in, judging by what he said to the reporter from the Cumberland and Westmorland Herald. We got excellent press coverage, front page article and a lovely photo of Anne Ridley and Richard Morris with Rory and the SoS. All in all we got more than we could reasonably have expected.