A study into the feasibility of running commuter trains on a heritage steam railway has been published.

If adopted, the plan could see four services running morning and evening along the five-mile Keighley and Worth Valley line.

The study, funded by the Worth Valley Joint Transport Committee, is being scrutinised by heritage railway bosses. It was undertaken by transport consultant Arup, who calculated the service could cost up to £550,000 a year to run and bring in revenue of over £1 million.

The move would mean timetables would have to be re-arranged to enable the rolling stock to run on the single-track line between Keighley and Oxenhope.

Councillor John Huxley (right), chairman of the Worth Valley Joint Transport Committee and Haworth, Cross Roads and Stanbury Parish Council, said he believed the report gave a viable economic case for the return of commuter services, but accepted: “There is no doubt that the return of community passenger services to the line would present significant challenges to them.”

Railway chairman Dr Matthew Stroh said: “We have a strong voluntary ethos and it’s about reconciling that with the benefits this scheme could bring about for the railway.”