TO mark the 25th anniversary of the saving of the Settle-Carlisle railway line, a special train will run on the scenic route in the spring.

It will operate on Friday, April 11 – exactly 25 years since the announcement was made that the railway was to be saved from the threat of closure that had loomed since the early 1980s.

Settle-Carlisle Railway Development Company and the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line are working to mark the anniversary.

The development company, set up in 1992, is committed to promoting the line and encouraging economic development along it.

The Friends, originally formed to fight the proposed closure, supports the railway with an army of volunteers who provide on-train guides, lead guided walks, distribute promotional leaflets and care for the stations and their gardens.

The special train will be supplied and crewed by Direct Rail Services.

Three of the company’s iconic Class 37 locomotives will haul up to nine of its recently refurbished Mark 2 vehicles.

It will leave Leeds at about 10am, calling at Shipley, Skipton, Settle and Appleby. The arrival time at Carlisle station will be 1pm.

Passengers will have time to enjoy lunch in the city before the train leaves for the return leg at around 2.20pm, arriving in Leeds at 5pm.

A limited number of tickets are available at £50 each.