Steam railway gets £1m grant to repair historic bridge

Keighley and Worth Valley Railway has been granted £1m to repair a railway bridge in Haworth from the government’s Community Ownership Fund.

The historic steam railway – featured in films such as The Railway Children (1970) and TV shows such as All Creatures Great and Small  (2020) – has around 250,000 passengers a year.

Bridge 27, which carries the railway over Bridgehouse Beck in Haworth, was built in 1867, and is in need of urgent repairs.

In total, 45 UK projects are sharing £12.3m in the latest round of funding.

David Pearson, co-ordinator for external finance and resources at the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway Preservation Society, said, “We’re overjoyed to have received this funding, which will be going towards the complete rebuilding of the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway’s bridge 27 in the middle of the railway at Haworth
and in the middle of Haworth village.

“It means that the long term survival of train services on the railway is ensured and means everything to our railway, our villages and our people.”

Jacob Young, Minister for Levelling Up, said, “Our priority is to support communities and deliver opportunities right across the country, which is why we’re investing £12.3m to secure the future of cherished community institutions.

“These places – from pubs to historic railway lines – are the golden thread which run through our social fabric, and keeping them going is vital for supporting communities.”