Railway route study gets go-ahead

The disused track between Uckfield and Lewes is overgrown

Network Rail will oversee a study into the possible reopening of a disused railway line in East Sussex, the county council has said.

The organisation has agreed to manage a feasibility study into the Uckfield to Lewes route.

It was due to start in September but East Sussex council said negotiations had pushed the process back.

The railway line between Lewes and Uckfield was closed in 1969. Trains currently only run north from Uckfield.

'Distinct possibility'

East Sussex County councillor Rupert Simmons said: "This study will identify, once and for all, whether there is a case for reopening the Lewes-Uckfield line.

"Network Rail has a proven track record of managing similar studies at a variety of locations nationwide, and is better placed then anyone else to undertake this type of work."

He added: "We have come a long way from the idea of reconnecting this line being a mere aspiration to one of a distinct possibility."

Local councils and Southern Railway are part of a board which is contributing to the £130,000 to £140,000 cost of the study.

Members of the Wealden Line Campaign group discussed the issue with a government minister in May 2007.

The Department for Transport said at the time that it would be happy to consider the results of any feasibility study.