VOLUNTEERS are being sought to help turn the Settle-Carlisle into a 'sustainable tourist attraction'.

The world famous line is famous around the world for its scenic beauty with rail jobs on the line highly sought after.

Now, for the first time, volunteer roles are being made available including on trains and at stations where new visitor centres, café bars and holiday lets are opening in redundant station buildings.

The Settle-Carlisle Railway Trust, its Development Company and The Friends of the line are working closely with government owned Network Rail which owns the track and Northern Rail which runs the trains.

Adrian Quine, trustee who leads the commercial operation of the line,  said: "This is a fantastic opportunity to give the local community a real chance to get involved with their own local railway.

“We are working collaboratively to grow passenger numbers while reducing road traffic in the national park and providing new visitor attractions. Our new projects will help the local economy and bring much needed revenue to this heavily subsidised railway which has so much potential.”

Mr Quine was the brains behind the hugely popular daily ‘Staycation Express’ tourist trains which ran along the line from Skipton and Settle to Appleby and Carlisle during the Covid-19 summers of 2020 and 2021.

The venture saw 35,000 new visitors to the area and a much needed boost to the local economy, said Mr Quine.

The first of the new attractions to open this spring is a café bar at Horton-in-Ribblesdale station along with a one-bedroom short stay holiday aimed at holidaymakers and Yorkshire Three Peaks walkers.

Last month, Network Rail announced a £4.2 million investment in Horton-in-Ribblesdale Station involving the installation of a footbridge with lifts to make crossing the tracks safer for both walkers and rail passengers - and more accessible.

The footbridge is expected to be completed by July this year, with work to install the lifts being completed in September. In the meantime, a temporary crossing is in place at the north end of the station.

£1m of the funding is coming from the Department for Transport’s Access for All programme which aims to encourage more people to travel by train.

At the time, Northern Rail said the new bridge and lifts at Horton would make a real difference to the travel experience of people visiting the area.

Prospective volunteers on the Settle-Carlisle line can get in touch via email: HCB@settle-carlisle.com