Thanks in part to our 15 gorgeous national parks, train travel in the UK can boast with plenty of glorious views. And now, a brand-new rail journey is set to chug through one of the country’s most spectacular areas of natural beauty: the beautiful hills of the Yorkshire Dales.
Called the Yorkshire Dales Explorer, the new service will be a weekly Saturday-only service between Rochdale and Ribblehead, stopping at Manchester Victoria, Bolton, Clitheroe and Hellifield.
While further details are still to be released, we do know that the Explorer will start operating from June 8.
Councillors from the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority are encouraging the public to take advantage of the service once it launches. The Explorer replaces the cancelled Dales Rail train service that, until last year, would run on Sundays from Blackburn and Clitheroe to Hellifield.
Apparently, the new route will improve travel times and take full advantage of the ‘brilliant’ Hellifield station, which offers connections to cities including Leeds and Carlisle. Councillor Andy Solloway said: ‘If people use it, then we can start expanding it. Hellifield is a brilliant station and it’s a natural connection for people using the Settle-Carlisle line.’
In other travel news on Time Out...
Work is underway on a £2 billion tram network in Leeds, there are plans to create undersea tunnels between the Channel Islands and launch a new luxury rail route in Scotland, plus big investment is going towards making journeys between England and Wales faster. Keep an eye on the Time Out website for all of the latest on trains, trams, buses and planes around the UK.
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