South Lakes MP Tim Farron has written to the government asking it to support proposals for a passing loop on the Lakes Line between Oxenholme and Windermere.

The MP wrote a letter to Secretary of State for Transport Louise Haigh saying in February 2023, the then Cumbria County Council submitted a business case for a passing loop on the Lakes Line.

18 months later, he said there had still been no response from the Department for Transport.

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The Lakes Line is currently single track which means only one round trip per hour is possible.

A passing loop would double capacity on the line, Mr Farron says, bringing benefits to residents, visitors, businesses and the environment.

In his letter, Mr Farron wrote: "A passing loop could easily double capacity on the line and, in doing so, will offer more regular and more reliable services into one of the most visited tourist destinations in the country – the Lake District.

"This would provide an enormous boost to Cumbria’s tourism sector, which is worth more than £3bn to the UK economy.

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"It would have enormous environmental benefits too, with increased capacity on the Lakes Line resulting in fewer people needing to make the journey into the Lake District by car leading to fewer carbon emissions in this World Heritage Site."

"Given your Government’s commitment to growth, please will you urgently back this bid and support this vital project which will bring so many benefits to businesses, the tourism economy, local residents, and the environment."

Mr Farron called for the Lakes Line expansion to be 'fast tracked' in 2022 accusing the then government of 'dragging its feet'.

Cumbria County Council was developing a feasibility study into building a passing loop on the Lakes Line near Burneside station In relation to the MP's latest letter, the Department of Transport directed us to the Transport Secretary's statement issued on July 30.

The statement read: "The financial inheritance this government has received is extremely challenging. The previous administration has left a £22 billion public spending gap this year alone – £2.9 billion of which is unfunded transport commitments.

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"Communities up and down the country have been given hope for new transport infrastructure, with no plans or funds to deliver them. This government will not make that mistake. This government will rebuild our economic foundations while restoring transparency and public trust.

"In recent weeks, the gap between promised schemes and the money available to deliver them has been made clear to me.

(Image: Northern; Newsquest) "There has been a lack of openness with the public about the status of schemes – some of which were cancelled or paused by the previous government, without proper communication to the public.

"As the Chancellor informed Parliament, I am commissioning an internal review of DfT’s capital spend portfolio. We will bring in external expertise and move quickly to make recommendations about current and future schemes.

"This review will support the development of our new long-term strategy for transport, developing a modern and integrated network with people at its heart and ensuring that transport infrastructure can be delivered efficiently and on time.

"I am determined that we build the transport infrastructure to drive economic growth and opportunity in every part of the country and to deliver value for money for taxpayers. That ambition requires a fundamental reset to how we approach capital projects – with public trust, industry confidence and government integrity at its heart."