A councillor has urged people to back a campaign to get the Lichfield to Burton railway line reopened.
No passenger services currently use the Cross City Line tracks beyond Lichfield Trent Valley station on a regular basis.
But Cllr Richard Henshaw, Liberal Democrat representative for Leomansley ward and a member of the Lichfield Rail Promotion Group, said reusing the route could help alleviate local transport issues.
He said:
“How many Lichfield District residents are aware of the existence of a well-maintained rail line between Lichfield and Burton parallel to the congested and dangerous A38 which is currently overwhelmed by HS2 works?
“This could – with a lot less work and effort than HS2 – be upgraded to passenger standards and relieve congestion and pollution, as well as serving the National Memorial Arboretum and Alrewas as well.
“The only blocks to this improvement of our local transport system appear to be the inertia of the county council and central government.”
Cllr Richard Henshaw
Cllr Henshaw said he hoped the issue would be a key part of the focus going forward.
“Please join us at Lichfield Rail Promotion Group to achieve this and specifically to lobby all the candidates at the forthcoming General Election.”
Cllr Richard Henshaw
