A decline of Ripon’s railways may have seen the city miss out on almost £4.9m in economic output, new findings suggest.

Passenger trains left the city in 1967, with its direct rail access still being discussed almost six decades later.

Now, according to new analysis by enthusiasts’ website World of Railways, the economic impact of that is a loss of around £4.87m between 1967 and 2025.

Passenger services through the North Yorkshire city ended on 6 March 1967 when the route between Harrogate and Northallerton closed. Ripon still has no railway station.

World of Railways has estimated what that long period without direct passenger rail may have meant economically.

placeholder image — World of Railways has estimated what that long period without direct passenger rail may have meant economically.

The estimate is not an exact bill for closing the railway, researchers are quick to add, and does not mean £4.87m simply disappeared from the UK economy.

It is an indication of local economic activity that may have been missed over time.

Emily Warner, at World of Railways, said: “Ripon has now been without a railway station for almost 60 years, but the city has changed enormously in that time, not least with significant population growth.

“What makes the case particularly relevant today is that the need for better connectivity hasn’t gone away.”

Researchers, looking at population figures, outline a 93 per cent growth in the number of people living here since the railway closed in 1961.

There have been many proposals to restore rail services to Ripon in the years, including a bid through the Government’s Restoring Your Railway programme which did not progress.

Current local work is instead looking at a possible mobility hub and improvements to bus and onward transport connections.

The investigation is part of World of Railways: Britain’s Lost Railways project ahead of The National Festival of Railway Modelling, at the NEC Birmingham on November 21 and 22.