PEOPLE flocked to locations along the newly re-opened Settle-Carlisle Railway to see the Flying Scotsman on Friday.

"Re-opening of the line went really well," said Anne Ridley, operations manager of the Settle-Carlisle Railway Development Company. "The Flying Scotsman was fully booked with 600 people going out on an excursion for the day.

"People also came out to see and photograph it and everybody was really enthusiastic to catch a glimpse of it."

"It was an incredible day," added Drew Haley, general manager of the Settle-Carlisle Railway Development Company. "The Flying Scotsman was a perfect way to re-open the line, as it attracted as wide an audience as you could get."

The historic steam engine pulled 11 fully booked carriages as it departed from Oxenhope on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway and travelled along the Settle to Carlisle line.

The line was shut to trains in February 2016 near Armathwaite, after Network Rail detected the ground slipping beneath the railway towards the River Eden 70 metres below.

A 100-metre section of track subsided 1.5 metres, meaning buses have had to replace Northern train services along the stretch of line until the railway was made safe and repaired.

Among those who rode the Flying Scotsman last Friday was Government Railway Minister MP Paul Maynard.

He said: "The re-opening of the Settle to Carlisle line is critical in my view, as it's a highly symbolic line and a vital artery. It's £23 million well spent.

“This is an excellent example of the Government’s vision for the future of our busy rail network – one that is run by an integrated team of people with a commitment to improving services for the benefit of passengers.

"Network Rail, contractors and train operators have together worked hard to get this historic line running again.

"Our railways are crucial to our economic future and whether it’s improving services or completing essential repairs, the commitment is the same."

Paul Kirkman, director of the National Railway Museum, which loaned the Flying Scotsman to the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway for nine days, said the steam engine was back in action following a meticulous restoration programme.

"We want to get it out there again and get the public seeing what is a great icon of British engineering," he added.

"And there can't be a more fitting place for it to go than on the Settle to Carlisle line.

"Every nut and bolt of the locomotive has been restored, so it's probably in a better condition now than at any other time in its working life.”

Normal Northern Rail services also resumed on the Settle-Carlisle line on Friday, with the first southbound train departing Carlisle at 5.50am. Bosses said these services were "far busier than they had been in recent months".

"Passenger number have really increased, especially with the weather being so nice," said Mr Haley. "For once, the gods have smiled on us."