All aboard!
FENLAND businesses are being urged to come on board and give cash to get the area s first heritage railway on track. Enthusiasts behind the Wisbech and March Bramley Line are facing unexpected legal bills of up to £20,000. They want businesses to show co
FENLAND businesses are being urged to come on board and give cash to get the area's first heritage railway on track.
Enthusiasts behind the Wisbech and March Bramley Line are facing unexpected legal bills of up to £20,000. They want businesses to show confidence in the project which they say will bring tourists and trade to the Fens.
The Bramley Line Group is stunned by the possibility of the huge bill for negotiating the lease agreement with Network Rail for the rail link between Wisbech and March. Chairman Peter Downs says while money is available to cover costs once the line is operational, the group will struggle to pay a legal bill of that magnitude. He said the group was told initially the legal costs would be about £5,000.
He said: "We did tell them we haven't got that kind of money to hand and we would have to look for corporate sponsorship. What we have is usually small donations from individuals.
"All our time is donated and there will be no wage bill. We believe we can cover all the costs once we are operational."
Mr Downs thinks local businesses are reluctant to give money because they remember previous failed attempts to get the project up and running.
Most Read
- 1 Main road through Wisbech town centre shut after serious crash
- 2 Middlesbrough couple found in Cambs with drugs worth around £37,000
- 3 Lorry breaks down on A47 near Wisbech
- 4 Princess Anne waves from Range Rover after landing in Wisbech
- 5 Can you answer these 10 GCSE questions designed for 16-year-olds?
- 6 EastEnders star Adam Woodyatt ‘to work at restaurant in Cambridgeshire’
- 7 Family pay tribute to brothers, 13 and 17, killed in horror BMW crash
- 8 Eye burglar smashed doors with brick and stole jewellery and chocolate
- 9 Boys, 13 and 17 killed in horror BMW crash near A47 in Peterborough
- 10 Tribute to ‘much-loved’ school worker who died suddenly in Wisbech
"I believe a lot of people are still fencesitting," he said. "Perhaps they have been stung before for money. Network Rail has asked us what the time frame will be for getting it up and running but obviously that depends on finance and whether we can get corporate sponsorship."
Mr Downs said businesses should not be put off by what has happened in the past. He said: "We are going to get there this time. It will be third time lucky. We firmly believe we can make it happen but we need businesses to come on board and support us."
If you think you can help, contact The Bramley Line at PO Box 132 Wisbech PE13 2WZ or telephone 01945 467740 during office hours.