York & North Yorkshire

355,000 passengers travelled on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway in 2010

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) has warned it is under "serious threat" from rising fuel prices despite record visitor numbers in 2010.

Passenger numbers rose by 5,000 to 355,000 in 2010

But general manager Philip Benham said: "Like many tourist attractions in rural areas, the dramatic increases... in road fuel prices are a serious threat."

He also said spending by visitors fell last year, reducing the heritage railway's overall income by £25,000.

Staff at the attraction believe it is worth £30m a year to the local economy.

Mr Benham said: "We are delighted to see our passenger figures rise again despite what was a tough year in many ways - particularly financially.

"Our passengers are clearly feeling the pinch in these difficult economic times.

We are increasingly seeing cases where volunteers can no longer afford to make the journey to work on the railway. Philip Benham, NYMR general manager

"The dip in spending signals a big challenge for 2011 if we are to achieve the levels of income we need to run this large, heritage steam railway."

The attraction was also hit by bad weather in late 2010, which saw heavy snowfall over the North York Moors making it difficult for passengers and volunteers to reach stations.

Mr Benham said his biggest concern for the coming year was the effect of rising fuel prices on rural tourism.

"Like many tourist attractions in rural areas, the dramatic increases being seen in road fuel prices are a serious threat.

"For NYMR this is a double whammy, affecting not only visitors, but also the volunteers so vital to our operations.

"Often retired and on limited incomes, we are increasingly seeing cases where volunteers can no longer afford to make the journey to work on the railway."

He said that hoped there would be some action to help stabilise fuel prices before the beginning of the main tourist season at Easter.

The railway's most popular fares have been frozen for 2011 despite increasing costs of fuel for engines but Mr Benham says the attraction has to offer "value for money" in the current economic circumstances.

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