[1][2] The idea for a diversionary railway to take freight trains away from the East Coast Main Line (ECML) had been proposed for some time, and was included in the Yorkshire and Humber Route Utilisation Strategy in July 2009.

[1] Work on the site started in January 2013, with the intention that most of the incoming materials would be delivered by train to a temporary siding located on the old Thorpe Marsh Power Station.

[8] However, the Skellow line was cut off from the national network by the Hatfield Landslip one month into the project starting, so most of the bulk fill material had to be delivered to the site by road.

[11] The use of the chord and the Askern branch line to access the Aire Valley Power Stations meant that on average, the distance travelled by freight trains was between 7-13% less than the older route via Applehurst Junction and the ECML.

[18] With the closure of the coal-fired power stations in the Aire Valley, the traffic flows along the new chord dropped by 25%, although biomass loadings to Drax remained healthy.