The E&BASR currently runs for a total distance of 4 miles (6 km) from Embsay via Draughton Sidings, Holywell and Stoneacre Loop to Bolton Abbey station and carries around 100,000 passengers a year.

Around 14 years after closure, a group of volunteers put forward a plan in 1979 to reopen the line as a preservation route.

Bolton Abbey railway station finally reopened in 1998, bringing the current total of over 4 miles in length.

As the original line stretched from the North Yorkshire market town of Skipton to the West Yorkshire spa town of Ilkley, there was talk of extending the re-opened track to cover the original extent prior to its closure by British Railways in 1965.

Previous extensions have been built in small sections over a long period of time, so a re-opening of the line to Addingham would be many years off.

Reports suggest Sustrans are interested in converting the route into a cycle path, but would provide formation space for a single track allowing any extension to be built.

The embankment supporting Addingham railway station, goods yard and depot was removed and replaced in the 1980s with a housing development, with the bridge and abutments over the main road demolished at around the same time.

Re-instating this link would allow trains to serve Skipton station, and would potentially offer greater access to the railway.

The railway has helped and supported the surrounding area (and local economy) to regenerate and provide brand new attractions, boosting both trade and tourism.