Bradford & District | Archive | 2005 | May | 26
From the Telegraph & Argus, first published Thursday 26th May 2005.
Elsie Hollingsworth took a trip down memory lane when a defunct rail track was re-opened as a new country trail.
The 84-year-old, of Parkside Terrace, Cullingworth, cut the tape to officially open the Great Northern Railway Trail in the village on Monday.
Mrs Hollingsworth was joined by nine-year-old Jessica Darnbrook, a pupil at Cullingworth Primary School, who intends using the trail to get to school.
More than 50 years ago, Mrs Hollingsworth used the old line to get from her home in Harecroft to Keighley.
"It was four old pennies there and back. And my two children used the train to get to school as well," she said.
"This is a wonderful thing and I intend to walk it."
About 250 people, including cyclists from the primary school and runners from Parkside School, crammed on to Cullingworth viaduct to mark the opening.
They heard railway historian Alan Whitaker, whose father was a station master on the line, recall how the original inspiration to resurrect the line was that of the late Bob Cryer, Keighley's former MP. "He wanted to see it back in public use and this is exactly what has happened," said Mr Whitaker
"The people of Cullingworth are extremely privileged to have on their doorstep this magnificent piece of engineering, which contains two of the finest viaducts in England," he said.
The ceremony marked the opening of the first section of the trail from Cullingworth to Harecroft.
Sustrans, the alternative transport group, which is creating the trail, has spent £200,000 on developing the first section.
The cycleway, footpath and bridleway will eventually run between Cullingworth and Queensbury and is being constructed in three sections at a cost of about £1 million.
Bradford councillor Anne Hawkes-worth, who has the environment portfolio, said the opening was a triumph for co-operation between Sustrans, the council and other agencies and the local community.
It had won financial backing from a number of sources, including the European Fund, the National Lottery, Countryside Agency, the Railway Heritage Trust and the Department of Transport.
© Newsquest Media Group 2008