This is what a new steam railway could look like if a disused rail track is brought back to life.

Ambitious plans to create a new £30m steam railway are being launched today - in what could be a huge new tourist draw for the region.

Greater Manchester is already home to the East Lancashire Railway - which runs vintage engines between Heywood and Rawtenstall.

But a new campaign has been launched to transform a disused stretch of track between Irlam and Timperley into a new heritage attraction - which would include the re-opening of the Cadishead Viaduct.

It is the vision of a Salford millionaire who has already sunk millions into reviving a tired old Salford railway station.

Telecoms mogul Neil McArthur, who has already ploughed £7m into the Irlam and Cadishead community via his charitable trust.

He will be joined by former government minister and rail enthusiast, Michael Portillo, presenter of TV’s Great Railways Journeys, to help launch the project today at Irlam Station House.

The Victorian station house which dates from 1893, had been boarded up and empty for 25 years until a £2m project was funded by Neil’s Hamilton Davies Trust.

He has submitted his plans in a report to Salford and Trafford coucils, Transport for Greater Manchester, Network Rail.

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It calls for political support from the statutory bodies to re-connect communities along the line which lost the passenger service in 1964.

The freight service ended in 1984 with the closure of the Cadishead viaduct over the Manchester Ship Canal.

He believes the re-opening of the line would create a tourist attraction as well as linking communities in Trafford and Salford which are badly served by existing transport routes. It also calls for an extension of the national cycleway scheme, with new bike trails also being created.

And while getting your hands on a working steam locomotive isn’t the easiest job in the world, steam fan Mr McArthur is confident of finding the trains to run on the line.

He added: “There are many steam train owners who don’t have anywhere to run them. In fact there are more steam train owners than there are heritage railways to run them on. We will offer them the chance to do that.”

Neil calcualtes the cost at between £25m and £30m. The Hamilton Davies Trust is proposing the establishment of a new trust, the Cheshire Lines Railway Trust, to deliver the project. Meanwhile HDT will continue to fund the feasibility and will be prepared to kick-start the work if a funding partnership can be assembled working with the statutory bodies.

The entire route is in the ownership of Network Rail. Neil said:“We’re building on the success of what we’ve done here at Irlam Station, which enjoyed a 17% rise in passenger figures in 2015, one of the highest in Greater Manchester.

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“The economic, social and environmental benefits would be huge. The East Lancs heritage railways shows the demand with 200,000 passengers a year, so there is a local example to learn from.

“We’re asking the political representatives and transport bodies to join with us in exploring the art of the possible.

He is confident of finding the trains to run on the line. He says: “There are many steam train owners who don’t have anywhere to run them. In fact there are more steam train owners than there are heritage railways to run them on. We will offer them the chance to do that.”

Former transport minister Mr Portillo said: “The building of Britain’s railways during the nineteenth century required vision, determination and entrepreneurial flair. Today, the re-opening of closed tracks requires the same qualities.

A train journey through 1850s Manchester

“I’m impressed by the zeal shown by the Hamilton Davies Trust. Heritage lines run all over Britain thanks to that kind of enthusiasm, and they bring pleasure to many thousands, and greatly boost the economic health of the neighbouring communities.”

Although it’s not clear how much passengers would be charged to travel on services - or how often they would run - those behind the scheme say would ensure tickets were as affordable as possible.