North West Leicestershire MP Amanda Hack says she will keep up pressure on the Government to continue plans for the re-opening of the Ivanhoe Line.

Ms Hack, who won the seat for Labour earlier this month, added that she intends to contact the Secretary of State for Transport, Louise Haigh, to push for the project to be reviewed.

Initial plans to re-open the rail route from Coalville to Derby - via Ashby - were shelved on Monday after Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a series of cost-cutting measures in the House of Commons.

These included the scrapping of the Restore Your Railway Fund, which provided the money for the Ivanhoe Line's continued progress.

As things stand, the scheme has hit the buffers.

Labour says the statement identified £22 billion in unfunded spending commitments for the current budget year hidden by the previous government. 

The overspend prompted an immediate review of funding for rail projects and a further delay in moves to reopen the Ivanhoe Line to passenger traffic. 

It is a decision that has drawn criticism for Labour from the Campaign to Re-open the Ivanhoe Line, which noted support for the project from both the new North West Leicestershire MP and South Derbyshire MP, Samantha Niblett.

But, speaking in Westminster today (Tuesday), Amanda Hack said: "After less than a month in parliament, it's clear that the Conservatives called an early general election, knowing full well that the cupboard was bare. 

"After 14 years of chaos and waste, the scale of the financial challenge faced by our new government is huge. 

"We have inherited a £22 billion overspend, including nearly £800m of unfunded transport projects. 

"The Ivanhoe Line is one of them. 

"Unlike the Tories, we don't make spending commitments we can't keep. If we can't afford it, we can't do it. 

"This will disappoint those campaigning to restore passenger services, but this isn't the end. 

"This latest development is a setback, but I'm an optimist. I will continue working with all parties to get a green light for the full reopening of the Ivanhoe Line between Burton and Leicester. 

"I will write to the Treasury to restate the case for the Ivanhoe Line. I will also press the Secretary of State for Transport to review the project. 

"The people of North West Leicestershire can now take comfort from the fact that they are represented by a straight-talking Labour MP working closely with a Labour government that will deliver economic stability as a precursor to economic growth and investment in Britain's neglected transport infrastructure."