North Yorkshire Moors Railway: Attraction announces reopening

A steam railway plans to reopen after supporters raised more than £350,000 to keep it going through the coronavirus lockdown.

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway runs between Pickering and Whitby, with one of its stations famously featuring as Hogsmeade in a Harry Potter film.

It will reopen on 1 August, which is also Yorkshire Day, with journeys running seven days a week.

Measures will be in place to enable social distancing to be maintained.

These will include passengers being able to pre-book tickets, with each train carriage being cleaned and sanitised before each journey.

Onboard toilets will not be in use but there will be facilities on the platforms, NYMR said.

There will be four return departures daily from Pickering to Levisham, and from Grosmont to Goathland return, with each journey lasting about one hour.

The 180-year-old railway had originally planned to open in early April but instead has been running a behind-the-scenes crisis appeal.

By holding virtual events such as silent auctions, a virtual shop launch, Friday night quizzes, and by taking donations, the organisation has managed to raise £350,000 to help keep it on track.

The railway runs along 24 miles (39km) of steep inclines and remote landscapes, and has been used as a location for several films including Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Phantom Thread.

It is owned and operated by a charitable trust that employs 100 people, also relying on about 1,000 volunteers.

The tickets will be released in waves, with tickets to visit from 1-14 August being available to buy online from 1 July for current NYMR members, then 6 July to the wider public.

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