This week the 250th birthday of the oldest working commercial railway in the world was marked in Parliament.

A motion tabled by Leeds West MP John Battle congratulated the Middleton Light Railway and thanked the volunteers who keep it operating.

It is one of the most historic railway sites in the world having been the first to be constructed on June 9 under powers from an Act of Parliament in 1758.

Though originally built to carry coal from the Middleton pits to Leeds, the railway continues to be run by a group of volunteers and runs on Sundays and Bank Holidays throughout the year.

Mr Battle said: "Having enjoyed visiting the Railway with my family in the past, I was delighted to put down this motion in Parliament to mark the 250th anniversary.

"The volunteers who keep it going put in a great deal of time and effort and this was a good way to recognise that.
Visitors

"I hope they will attract many new visitors in this anniversary year."
Andrew Gill, chairman of Middleton Railway, said: "Whilst we celebrate 250 years of continuous running of our now 'Heritage Railway', we must remember the reasons we are here.

"Coal, which had to be transported cheaply to the then town of Leeds to supply the ever-increasing appetite of the industrial revolution.

"This in turn led to building more railway locomotives than any other town or city in England. Alas, all this is now history, but we can keep part of it alive today so we can remember those early pioneers of industry, railways and mining, who worked so hard for so little, often
in appalling conditions.

"As we continue the railway into the future, with the possibility of extending our track into Middleton Park close to the original route, we say thank you to all of them!"

The Railway runs passenger trains every week, with a diesel service on a Saturday and a Sunday steam service, as well as running services on every Wednesday during August.

An anniversary gala will be held on June 7 & 8.