TOURISM, THE EAST LANCASHIRE STEAM RAILWAY AND THE REGENERATION OF RAMSBOTTOM

Motion Text

That this House notes the achievement of the local community in Ramsbottom in progressively transforming a traditional Lancashire Industrial town into one of Greater Manchester's prime residential locations and tourist centres; particularly congratulates all those associated with the development of the East Lancashire Railway and the introduction of steam trains on the route from Bury to Rawtenstall; recognises the hard work of local businesses in contributing to the regeneration of Ramsbottom and commends their efforts as a model to be considered by other small declining industrial towns; further recognises the potential for development of the local tourist economy with the staging of the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester; notes the importance of a direct rail link from Ramsbottom to Manchester, via Bury, if this potential is to be fully realised; further notes the additional advantages to commuters in Summerseat and the Rossendale Valley of such a direct rail link; welcomes the efforts of the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority in pursuing this idea; and calls on the Government to review the financial and legal context in which steam railways can be fully integrated into the national public transport network.