Fuel costs hit North Yorkshire Moors Railway

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR), which is visited by more than 300,000 tourists each year and attracts some £18 million into the local economy, is a largely volunteer-led attraction.

NYMR bosses have voiced concern about the adverse impact the credit crunch and soaring fuel costs are having on the tourism industry.

Philip Benham, the general manager at the NYMR, said the credit crunch was hitting the railway hard, especially through its impact on volunteers.

The railway is dependent upon more than 400 volunteers to operate through the year, and many of them travel long distances to carry out a range of duties. The running of one train alone can involve up to 15 people, including drivers, firemen, guards, ticket collectors, fitters and station despatch volunteers.

According to Mr Benham, the rising costs of living and high fuel costs were hitting the volunteers hard, who give up hours of their spare time to work the railways for free.

Mr Benham said: "Currently, we are holding our own - just - and this is as a result of our expanded services to and from Whitby. But many attractions don't have that diversity with which to keep up and some are undoubtedly struggling.

"We are well known for delighting thousands of visitors from the UK and overseas and enjoyed a record year in 2007 with 322,000 visitors.

"Although we are holding our own, an attraction of this kind, located within a rural area, means that we are heavily dependent upon volunteers with the right skills and enthusiasm to help us from a very large geographic area, as all of these skills are not available locally.

"There are many examples of volunteers travelling from as far afield as Cornwall, Cumbria and Cheshire.

"Volunteers, who love helping the railway, are beginning to think about scaling back their activities just to keep their heads above water.

"The rising costs are making things very challenging indeed."