TRAINS will run from Skipton and Keighley to Bradford on Boxing Day for the first time in decades.

The Airedale line is among several routes across the north of England where services will operate.

Keighley MP John Grogan, who has long campaigned for Boxing Day train services, welcomes the move.

But he voices concerns that there will be no services to Leeds, where extensive work is being carried out on the station.

“The good news is that for the first time in over 40 years trains will run on Boxing Day in Yorkshire,” he said.

“The bad news is that operator Northern Rail is not running trains to Leeds because it does not control Leeds Station. We need a joined-up approach.”

A Northern spokesman told us: “As part of our franchise we have a commitment to run a small number of Boxing Day services. We’ve taken into account several considerations – including engineering work by Network Rail over Christmas – and are looking at a number of routes including Skipton-Bradford and Ilkley-Bradford."