In February, the Government announced the establishment of a £500 million Restoring Your Railway Fund. MPs were invited to submit applications for the restoration of services which were axed as a result of the Beeching Report in 1963. Following this, John Whittingdale, Member of Parliament for Maldon, submitted an application in conjunction with Maldon District Council for the restoration of the Maldon to Witham railway line which was also supported by Priti Patel MP and by Essex County Council.
Since the line from Maldon to Witham was lost in the 1960s, the town has grown considerably with increasing levels of traffic congestion and pollution. A restoration of the line connecting Maldon with the Greater Anglia rail Network would save travellers time and money, reduce congestion on the roads and improve the environment. I am most grateful to Maldon District Council for the work that they have put in to developing this plan and am delighted that it has moved to the next stage. I very much hope that it may eventually lead to Maldon being back on the rails.
Following an initial assessment, this proposal has now progressed to the second stage and a more detailed case is being submitted.
