THE future of North Yorkshire's Esk Valley railway line is looking brighter after it was named as one of the country's first community rail routes.

Following a pilot scheme involving five other lines throughout the country, the Esk Valley, which runs from Middlesbrough to Whitby, is one of three to be designated as a community route by the Strategic Rail Authority.

The decision will allow the line to be made more cost-effective for passengers and will give local people a greater say in the running of their railway through the establishment of a community rail partnership.

The SRA launched the Community Rail Development Strategy last year.

It aims to secure the long-term future of branch lines like Esk Valley by increasing passenger numbers, reducing costs and encouraging greater community involvement.

Neil Buxton, secretary of the Esk Valley Railway Development Company, said: "It gives us the chance to look at new ways of operating the line and to make it more cost-effective and offer better value for money, both for those using the line and for those running it.

"It gives us opportunities to work in a different way to the main lines, where tracks are laid to carry trains at 125mph.

"The tracks on the Esk Valley line are similar, but trains will never travel at that speed, so now we can look at the tracks."

He added: "We will also be looking at better ways of physically linking the North York Moors Railway with Esk Valley in terms of running trains more easily into Whitby."