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The Hayfield Branch was a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) single-track branch line that ran along the Sett Valley from the Hope Valley Line near New Mills Central to Hayfield via one intermediate stop, Birch Vale.
The branch opened in 1868 to serve the villages along the valley of the River Sett and the local mills. Passenger numbers were high especially in the summer months as the line provided easy access to the country. A short-lived continuation of the line was built in the early 20th century to convey materials and workmen during the construction of Kinder Reservoir. After the Second World War, traffic slowed and eventually the line closed in 1969.
The line was purchased from British Rail by Derbyshire County Council in 1973 and now forms the Sett Valley Trail.[1]