Rochdale Council leader Neil Emmott visits ELR for a tour and development updates

Councillors Billy Sheerin, Sue Smith, Peter Rush and Neil Emmott at the East Lancashire Railway

Neil Emmott, the leader of Rochdale Council, was welcomed to the East Lancashire Railway (ELR) on Wednesday (14 September).

The award-winning heritage railway, a registered charity and volunteer-run organisation hosted the leader for a tour of ELR’s engineering hub Buckley Wells and a ride behind one of their heritage steam train fleet.

During the visit to Greater Manchester’s third most visited paid attraction, the leader received an update on the railway’s £12m infrastructure development project to facilitate the proposed increase in services to support Rochdale’s growth plans at Heywood and Castleton.

As part of the walk around the Grade-II listed workshops, built in 1856, the leader met heritage engineering experts, apprentices and some of the railway’s dedicated team of over 700 volunteers that keep the organisation on track.

Councillor Emmott said: “The history of the ELR and its value to our local community is there for all to see. I really enjoyed my visit and it was fantastic to see the huge scale of the railway operations and the impressive historical setting.

“I was particularly interested to learn about the organisation’s deep commitment to ‘living history’ and their central involvement in our local communities, as well as their wider support for the regional economy and Rochdale’s future plans.

“The ELR’s dedication to the preservation of heritage operations and the passion and devotion shown by staff and volunteers who rescued this important asset of the North West’s industrial heritage, bringing it back to life from dereliction, is hugely impressive.

“This major North West attraction is an important asset and we wholeheartedly want to work with the ELR going forward to ensure it has a sustainable future as a successful guardian of ‘living history’ for the next generation.”

Mike Kelly, Chairman of the East Lancashire Railway, said: “We were delighted to welcome the leader of Rochdale Council for his first visit to the East Lancashire Railway. As one of the North West’s major tourist, heritage and cultural attractions offering a unique experience of living history, it was great to highlight the huge scale of our operations and the positive impact they have on our local community and visitor economy.

“Councillor Emmott was able to see first-hand the size of the ELR’s ambitions in strengthening our engineering and operational infrastructure, allowing the railway to scale up its facilities to match Rochdale’s own growth strategies for tourism and regeneration at Heywood and Castleton stations.

“After the challenges of the pandemic, along with the huge costs of coal, diesel and energy supplies, we face an acute challenge and these are uncertain times. However, it was brilliant for our staff and volunteers to get the backing of the leader of Rochdale in acknowledging the important economic and educational value that we bring to our region.”