North Yorkshire Moors Railway announced Visit England partnership

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) has announced a new partnership with Visit England – an initiative to promote the North York Moors and its venues, hotels and attractions for people with access requirements.

NYMR is just one of a select number of businesses involved in The North York Moors Accessibility Project, an initiative to help the region’s tourism bounce back from the pandemic, funded by Visit England; other participants include the National Park, Inn on the Moor Hotel, Whitby Abbey, and Helmsley Walled Garden.

Central to the accessibility offering at the NYMR will be the four fully accessible ‘fuss free’ coaches which are being launched in April 2023; the coaches are part of the £10 million Yorkshire’s Magnificent Journey project (YMJ) which was designed to transform the railway. This will mean that all carriage sets in service will contain one historic carriage that has been specially adapted to ease access for everyone with access requirements  and accommodate them with their friends and family. The coaches benefit from ramps, accessible toilets and accessible seating areas, so that everyone can experience and enjoy the 24 miles of stunning scenery that the railway offers.

Laura Strangeway, Director of Corporate Services and Deputy CEO at NYMR, added: “We want as many people as possible to enjoy our fabulous heritage railway, and this Visit England partnership will allow us to ensure every facet is accessible to all; it’s an exciting time and we hope to have as many people as possible with us on the journey.”

“Partnerships play an important role here at the NYMR – whether it’s the Heritage Railway Association, Visit York, North York Moors National Park or simply our local community. This project is part of the bigger picture for both the NYMR and the region as a whole.”

The Fuss Free Coaches will be one of the last of the seven YMJ projects to be completed which was funded by grants from the European Union, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Department of Environment Farming and Rural Affairs, the Local Enterprise Partnership and by donations from the charity’s members and supporters. 

NYMR has also secured s106 funding with the help of Visit England to equip the railway with a host of useful equipment – from portable hearing loops to large-handled cutlery, toilet raisers to magnifiers. 

The project is also being supported by Access For All UK, who are giving free mentoring to all of the participants, which includes site visits and advice to help venues put together their own accessibility guides.

Photo credit: North Yorkshire Moors Railway

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