A rail enthusiast is willing to risk tens of thousands of pounds if his idea for a new train service fails.

Peter Brass is calling on MPs, rail enthusiasts and potential passengers to back calls for a passenger rail service between Clitheroe and Skipton on the line through Hellifield.

The line is already in place – Blackburn to Hellifield – but is now only open for freight, periodic diversions for engineering work and the occasional commissioned steam locomotive. The passenger service was terminated at Clitheroe in 1962.

Mr Brass said: “At the moment, to get to Skipton by rail from Clitheroe you have to go via Blackburn, on to Bradford or Leeds and then up to Skipton. All that would be required to get a service to Skipton from Clitheroe would be for Northern Rail to put a unit (passenger train) on the line and install a new signal at Hellifield. The line is already there to be used.

“There are five trains that do the Manchester circuit. All Northern Rail need to do is get a sixth train and an hourly service to Skipton could be up and running in little time.

“All that would be needed would be to install a new signal at Hellifield station, which could be done in a few days. I don’t know the cost of a unit, but the service would pay for itself in no time at all.

“I’ve even offered a deal in that, if a train is set up and after two years is deemed not viable, I will personally pay the train company £1,000 a week for each week it ran the service. I am so convinced it can’t fail,” said Mr Brass, who runs a newsagent’s in Clitheroe.

“People from Clitheroe and beyond want to come into the Yorkshire Dales, but can’t get there directly by train unless they either go the long way round or drive to Hellifield, which doesn’t make sense and isn’t a very ‘green’ way of travelling.

“Being able to get by train to Skipton would also reduce the time it takes to get to London from Clitheroe.”

The average journey to London’s King’s Cross from Clitheroe requires three changes, with the shortest travel time of three hours 52 minutes. From Skipton, with one change, the journey would be almost 50 minutes quicker.

“It would also work the other way round for people from the Skipton area being able to get easily by train to Blackburn, Preston or Manchester,” said Mr Brass.

“I am convinced the service would pay for itself in a very short time and that is why I’ve said I will pay £1,000 a week if it doesn’t.”

Mr Brass said he had no idea how much it would cost to put a train on the line, but it would give a much better return than the £2 million spent on building a sheep crossing over the line just below Clitheroe.

“I think this issue is a good one for local MPs from both counties to pursue,” he said.

“I am urging anyone interested in seeing a passenger train put on the line between Skipton and Clitheroe to lobby their MP and put pressure on the rail company to establish the service.”