Arnside to Grange Trail

We are pleased to say we have secured funding from Westmorland & Furness Council to complete the final stage of feasibility into the Arnside to Grange Trail. PJA Transport Initiatives will start work in June 2024 to complete the following:

Undertake further technical work to address some of the outstanding issues around forecast demand, construction/buildability, flooding, visual impact, increased demand for parking and identifying appropriate walking, cycling & wheeling infrastructure between the viaduct and Arnside station.

Prepare operating and maintenance costs including, but not limited to site maintenance, surface repairs, landscaping, vegetation control, drainage, security, structural inspections.

Agree a scheme promoter/accountable body and draw up a structure for the governance, management, and delivery of the scheme.

Obtaining Network Rail in Principle Approval (the most important element)

We will also carry out further community engagement in both towns to prove the scheme is valued if and when funding for construction is being sought in future.

When we carried out extensive consultation in 2022, we were overwhelmed by the public support for the scheme. However, it is worth remembering that this final piece of feasibility work is no guarantee that the scheme will go ahead - there are many hoops to jump through!