AN ONLINE group campaigning for the re-opening of the Matlock to Buxton railway line has attracted nearly 1,500 supporters.
Sixth-form student Neil Gregory, of Litton, launched the group on social networking site Facebook after becoming interested in the former mainline through the Peak District National Park.
The picturesque route carried express trains from Manchester to London and also served Bakewell and Millers Dale before its closure in 1968.
Neil, who attends Lady Manners School in Bakewell, said: "The railway was a tremendous route through the Peak District and would join Manchester to London.
"It would be an amazing route to re-open and one of the most beautiful sections of railway line in Derbyshire."
He added: "It would bring lots of tourists into the Peak District and they would not need to bring their cars – and help for the environment by reducing the carbon footprint.
"I created the Facebook group in favour of opening the line. The group received over 1,000 members in eight days, showing a demand for the rail link."
The track, between Rowsley and Buxton, was lifted after the closure and now forms part of the Monsal Trail.
Heritage group Peak Rail has restored the remaining section between
Matlock and Rowsley.
Ambitious £100 million plans to reopen the Buxton to Matlock route reached the end of the line in 2004 when a feasibility study commissioned by Derbyshire County Council concluded it would not be financially viable.
Instead, the £885,000 report, funded by 15 local organisations, recommended safeguarding the route for possible future use.
The national park authority last year announced plans to turn sections of the line into a cycle-path
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