THE National Railway Museum in York was visited by almost 200,000 extra people after entry charges were scrapped.

Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, announcing the sharp increase in visitor numbers at the NRM and other national museums, said income was no longer an obstacle to enjoying the riches of Britain's cultural heritage.

"The boom in visitor numbers, following the Government's investment to allow all visitors to go free, is excellent news," she said.

"It is a tribute to the energy and imagination of the museums themselves, and a clear rebuttal to those who say the people of this country are not interested in 'serious' culture and learning."

The statistics revealed that 740,955 people visited the NRM in the year to December 1, 2002, following the scrapping of admission fees in December 2001. That compares with 543,359 in the year to December 1, 2001 - representing a 36 per cent increase.

"We are absolutely delighted we have had this increase in visitor numbers," said Janice Murray, deputy head of the NRM.

Asked if the museum had been able to cope with the increase in numbers, she conceded it had been very busy at peak times such as the August summer holidays, although it had not had to turn people away.

She said the museum would concentrate on trying to encourage visitors to come at quieter times in 2003. York tourism boss Gillian Cruddas said today the introduction of free admission had generally been good for the city in its battle against competition from rival cities in the North.

However, it did mean that other tourist attractions in York with an entry fee had to work even harder for business. Day visitors might spend a day at the NRM without going on to visit any other paid-for attraction; however, people staying overnight in the city would go on to other charging attractions after visiting the railway museum.

Meanwhile, the Royal Armouries in Leeds enjoyed a 24 per cent increase from 249,146 to 308,822, while at national museums in London, there were even bigger increases.

For example, visitor numbers at the Victoria and Albert Museum increased by 111 per cent from 1,117,336 to 2,363,010. There was a 100 per cent rise at the Science Museum and 81 per cent at the Natural History Museum.

Tessa Jowell said the Government was committed to the policy of free admission to the national museums.

She said: "The simple truth is that, now entry fees have been swept away, our world-famous museums have been attracting many people for the very first time."

Updated: 11:53 Thursday, January 02, 2003