Full steam ahead as tourist plea succeeds

North Yorkshire Moors Railway driver, Charlie Wood steams into Pickering with a supply of the new leaflet promoting the market towns of Ryedale

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway, which took top spot last year at the Heritage Railway Association Awards for outstanding achievement in railway preservation, has seen a huge increase in the number of passengers travelling between Whitby and Pickering since the opening of a second platform at Whitby Station last August.

The railway is now running up to five trains a day between the two stations; previously it ran three.

Danielle Ramsey, marketing manager at the NYMR, said: “We’re delighted that travellers are taking advantage of the extra trains as a very special park and ride to bring them into Ryedale from the coast.”

The delighted team at the railway hopes to boost  numbers even further with the help of Welcome to Yorkshire’s Ryedale’s Market Towns,Yorkshire Coast and North York Moors campaign.

The campaign is spearheaded by a colourful fold-out brochure featuring attractions, events,  festivals and accommodation in Kirkbymoorside, Helmsley, Malton, Norton and  Pickering.

Janet Deacon, Welcome to Yorkshire’s Area Director for North Yorkshire said: “Last year – the first year of the campaign – we printed 20,000 brochures, and every one was snapped up.

“This year, we’ve doubled the print run, so 40,000 are available across Yorkshire.”

Copies of the brochure can be obtained from local Tourist Information Centres.

This year is 50th anniversary of the closure of the Whitby to Pickering line and the NYMR is marking the event with a gala weekend from Friday to Sunday, March 6 to 8.