A NORTH rail line is carrying out a national pilot scheme to get more people travelling by rail, to reduce damage to the environment.

The North York Moors National Park Authority is being recommended to support the community rail plan for the Esk Valley rail line, which runs from Whitby, North Yorkshire, to Middlesbrough.

Bill Breakell, the park's tourism and transport officer, said in a report to the authority: "The aim is to increase the number of passengers and, by doing so, lessen the damage caused by road transport in the park."

He said the railway, which dates from the 1830s, was vital to Whitby and the remote Esk Valley.

It survived the Beeching rail cuts of 1965, mainly because of the need for an all-weather transport route for the valley villages and to carry students to schools in Whitby.

Now, the Strategic Rail Authority is to give the line a new lease of life.

Funding has been provided by development agency Yorkshire Forward and The Countryside Agency.

The new community rail company for the Esk Valley line has employed a development manager and an assistant.

Mr Breakell said the venture will improve accessibility to the National Park, reduce traffic congestion in Whitby and potentially help reduce accidents on the roads to Pickering, Middlesbrough and Saltburn.