AN ambitious campaign has been launched to see the return of railways to Otley and Wharfedale.

In a bid to secure as much support as possible, an Otley-based group fighting for the return of the railway to Wharfedale is lobbying councils, MPs and other organisations.

Already, hundreds of leaflets, Aspirations for Rail Along the Wharfe Valley, have been sent out outlining the benefits of full reinstatement of the line from Arthington and Menston and the additional benefits of a spur line to places like Leeds Bradford International Airport.

Town councillor Jim Spencer, of the Otley Rail Link Action Group, said so far the response to the leaflet had been very positive.

"We've not had a single person say we've not got a chance, people have written back to say they're happy to support us and what a good idea it is," he said.

The leaflet, which uses information gathered from a feasibility study carried out in 1998 by Fred Whyte of Otley, suggests three stages of development - the Otley to Menston link; a link to proposed gravel pits at the east of Otley at Midgeley Farm to Menston, and the full reinstatement of the Arthington to Menston railway.

The action group argues that if the Menston to Arthington link was restored it would open up Harrogate to Bradford and further afield, and open up the area to tourists visiting the European destination of York.

Coun Spencer said the railway would reduce traffic along the A660 to Leeds and on the A65 and A6038 to Bradford.

"It would remove the need for road improvements and provide a less stressful alternative for Leeds and Bradford commuters especially at peak times.

"It would provide a rail link for the populations of Leeds and Bradford to the Otley leisure facilities and reduce the air pollution in Otley, Leeds and Bradford and on the commuter corridors."

An additional spur from the re-established railway to proposed gravel pits on the east of Otley would mean gravel could be transported by rail and not by road, while a link to Leeds Bradford Airport would reduce the amount of cars being driven to the airport.

Metro (The West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive) is currently undertaking a study into the future of public transport across the whole of the county. The £75,000 study, which is expected to be completed very soon, includes a £3,000 input from Otley Town Council, which requested that the possibility, including the cost, of reinstating the railway to Otley be included in the study.

l The leaflet is available from Otley Civic Centre, Cross Green.