ALL aboard for a good news story about our rail network.
After years of drift, delay and downright neglect, the long‑awaited upgrades to the Furness and Cumbria lines are finally moving. Network Rail has signed off a £60m plan to reopen the Bransty Tunnel, a breakthrough that didn’t happen by accident, but because Labour MPs refused to let Whitehaven’s rail misery be quietly swept under the carpet.
Let’s be honest: the closure of Bransty Tunnel was a disaster. It has thrown the entire Cumbrian coast timetable into chaos, hammered local businesses and made everyday life harder for thousands.
And why did it happen?
Because previous governments ignored warning after warning, leaving the tunnel to deteriorate until the inevitable happened.
Fixing it was never going to be simple. The railway sits on top of historic mine workings, tangled water flows and the delicate infrastructure around Whitehaven Harbour.
But complexity isn’t an excuse for inaction — and after relentless pressure and direct lobbying of ministers, the funding is finally in place. Trains will run properly along the coast again.
I want to pay tribute to my colleague Josh MacAlister, Labour MP for Whitehaven and Workington who has been tireless on this.
And rail minister Lord Hendy has backed the case for investment when it mattered.
And this is only the start. Cumbria’s Labour MPs have secured the outline business case for wider upgrades to the Coast and Furness Lines, and we’re already preparing our bid for the upcoming spending review.
Meanwhile, accessibility – too often treated as an optional extra – is finally getting attention.
Ulverston station is one of just 23 sites nationwide moving to detailed design under the Access for All programme.
I’ve pushed hard for this alongside disability campaigner Tony Jennings, ever since meeting him at a Cumbria Better Connected event years ago.
The design phase should be wrapped up in the new year, with Network Rail ready to bring operators and local partners into the next stage.
Millom station is also on the radar. I made it clear to rail chiefs last Thursday that the station needs improvement work and will be meeting executives on this urgently to discuss this as well as needed and long overdue work on Ulverston station canopy.
And Askam station is set to benefit from a package of improvements, with planning permission for proposed repairs being approved.
While this project is still in the design phase, and subject to detail changes, I will be pressing Network Rail to move at pace and share confirmed information when they can.
This Labour government is determined to build a railway that works for every community.
After years of darkness, there really is light at the end of the tunnel.