The Settle-Carlisle railway line has been vital for keeping communities connected - Yorkshire Post Letters

Re: Settle-Carlisle railway.

An excellent piece in The YP, Friday, May 1, and absolutely right to highlight this amazing railway connecting the major West Yorkshire conurbations, via the Aire Valley and into the Dales and Eden Valley to Carlisle.

It is beautiful scenery from start to finish. However your article majors into the aspect of steam, which although is highly photogenic, brings little in other ways to the prosperity of the area.

The fight to save the line was prompted by BR's intention to close the line or sell the route to an operator who would be able to make the route pay for itself. This was inevitably going to be a private operator running occasional specials in the summer.

Thankfully the government gave in (which also saved other lines due for closure) and the route was kept within the railway industry. Since that time communities can stay connected giving access to friends, family, work and education, commuters can live on the route and get to work and tourists can arrive throughout the year and use our local services.

This has kept our area vibrant and growing. It's not the steam trains that have provided this, it's our own local Northern services trundling between the start and finish all year and throughout the day at an affordable price.

Northern could and should do more to maximise on this amazing route with its scenery and fantastic heritage.