The campaign group, CKP Railways, was set up in 1998 for the purpose of restoring the Keswick and Penrith line, which closed to passenger traffic in March 1972 and then freight traffic later the same year.

The Two recently formed unitary authorities Cumberland Council and Westmorland and Furness Council who have replaced Cumbria County Council and former district councils has signalled a positive light for CKP Railways as transport and land use planning are among the responsibilities now held by the new unitary authorities.

It is hoped that within the new unitary authorities there is an understanding of the benefits of reopening the railway.

CKP Railways said: “Fortunately, there seem to be people who understand the benefits of the Railway within the two unitary authorities. CKP Railways has been in touch to advise on the plans and policies necessary to support the return of the railway.

“Money is not the most important factor right now, solid local political support has to be in place before permission can be given to build the railway.”

The CKP Railways group believes about 90% of the track bed is undamaged and all the major bridges and tunnels still exist, with some even still being maintained as part of the UK’s railway network.

However, a number of the bridges on the route near the Penrith end have been infilled to support the weakening structure. In response to every application to infill the bridges, CKP Railways has argued that the applicants did not demonstrate whether infilling was the most cost-effective solution or took into account possible re-use of the railway route requiring later removal of the obstruction.

Concerns were raised over plans in 2021 submitted to the former Eden District Council for a development outside Penrith that supporters of the rail line reopening were concerned would permanently prevent the line reopening due to the location at the junction point with the Westcoast main line. The plans were called in to the Secretary of State however the developer conceded to the calls to protect the track bed as part of the planning application with campaigners at the time claiming victory over the protection of a critical part of the Penrith to Keswich railway route.

It is also believed that the recent refusal of retrospective planning permission for infilling of a bridge at Great Musgrave on the closed Stainmore railway route has been a positive for the campaign. National Highways, which infilled the bridge without full permission, now has to restore it to its former state with work now underway to remove the infilled bridge.

MP for Penrith and the Border Neil Hudson announced his support of reopening the Penrith to Keswick line in January. He said that reopening the line and extending the Borders Railway through Longtown to Carlisle would widen access to education and amenities for areas suffering from rural isolation.

A business case for the Keswick and Penrith line reinstatement, collated by JMP Consultants, was first produced in 2007 and stated passenger usage was forcast to be in the range of 230,000 to 320,000 a year, with the potential to rise to 480,000.

The plan outlined three different options to reinstate the Penrith to Keswick line. The first with minimal infrastructure intervention was slated to cost £89M based on 2007 prices. The second option, that proposed the construction of intermediate stations, was estimated to cost close to £93M. The third option, proposed the same stations as putforward with option two but with a deviation of the route to Stainton and with a passing loop in Keswick, was costed at over £111M.

CKP Railways wants the reinstatement of the railway to be built to the current standards for main line railways and to be operated by modern trains to and from other parts of northern Britain, not just a shuttle between Keswick and Penrith but by providing at least an hourly service from early morning to late night, every day of the week, all year round.