North Yorkshire Moors Railway Fire Risk Restrictions - 08.07.2022

Summer has well and truly landed here in the UK, with temperatures look set to climb close to 30°C this weekend. Due to the unprecedented dry spell the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) has made the difficult decision to reduce its services from this weekend to add further mitigations to avoid risk of lineside fires.

Laura Strangeway, Director of Corporate Services said: “Due to the tinder dry conditions we are experiencing we have made the difficult decision to reduce our planned timetable from this weekend (from Saturday 9^th July). It has been particularly dry since Easter and with the dry weather set to continue, we have made the decision to supplement our Steam Locomotive fleet with diesel engines assisting our trains to minimise the risk of further fires.”

“The ground is particularly dry and would require continual rain over several days to make a substantial difference and currently there is no sign of rain forecasted. We are committed to working with our local stakeholders including North York Moors National Park, Game Keepers and North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service & Wildfire Group to minimise risk and add additional mitigations.”

“Like most registered charities, we have had to navigate through the Covid-19 pandemic and we are now facing environmental challenges with rising temperatures and increased fuel/coal prices and restrictions. As the busiest heritage railway in the UK, we encourage the public to support the sector by either donating or travelling along the historic line to ensure all communities can enjoy the golden age of steam.”

As a registered charity we care about our lineside and thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund, as part of our Yorkshire’s Magnificent Journey Project we now have a Lineside & Environmental Sustainability Manager to ensure future generations can enjoy the varied North York Moors landscape.

Passengers booked on a Moors Explorer service will receive an email advising them of their options. Moors Explorer services, Monday to Saturday are reduced to one return service and Moors Explorer services on Sunday, have also been reduced. View the Amended Timetables - For further information please email [email protected]

To book tickets to travel please visit: nymr.co.uk/book-tickets or to support the registered charity nymr.co.uk/support-us

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is an award-winning charitable trust that carries 300,000 unique passengers every year. It is Britain’s most popular heritage railway and is one of the best visitor attractions in the North East.

• The NYMR cares for operating and developing the railway it owns from Pickering to Grosmont.
• The heritage railway operates over Network Rail from Grosmont to Whitby.
• The charity provides a high quality, safe and authentic evocation of the steam age for the public.
• The NYMR is an Educational Charitable Trust. Providing education for all ages.
• The railway is a fully accredited museum.

Yorkshire's Magnificent Journey Project

The £10 million YMJ project aims to secure the long-term future of the popular heritage railway. It involves much-needed infrastructure improvements to enable the line to continue running for generations to come, including the replacement of three bridges. The project also focuses on improving access to the railway by those with disabilities, action to conserve and interpret the heritage, flora and fauna along the lineside, providing new opportunities for apprentices and new education and volunteering facilities. 

For further information and to donate please visit nymr.co.uk/YMJ

About The National Lottery Heritage Fund:

Using money raised by the National Lottery, we Inspire, lead and resource the UK’s heritage to create positive and lasting change for people and communities, now and in the future. www.heritagefund.org.uk.

Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLotteryHeritageFund