KEIGHLEY'S steam heritage railway has seen a surge in visitor numbers.

The five-mile line last year carried 110,715 passengers, up nearly nine per cent on 2013.

The day the Tour de France arrived in the area – July 6 – 2,294 people used the railway, more than three times the figure for the corresponding Sunday the previous year.

Roger France, marketing and filming liaison officer for the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (K&WVR), welcomes the increase in passengers.

He said: "The 8.8 per cent annual rise seems to be particularly down to the success of our regular special events such as the recent Santa Trains, the autumn beer & music festival and our winter and autumn steam galas, all of which showed an increase in visitors.

"The Tour de France event gave the figures a boost – although we reduced our fares on the day – and a new event for us, a 'scary' evening Hallowe'en train, also proved a popular draw.

"Clearly though, like all other local attractions, we still have to work hard to bring in visitors by providing good family facilities and value for money.

"K&WVR members are constantly seeking to come up with fresh ideas and improved attractions – this year there will be a spring Paddington Bear event and there are a few tweaks to timetables to make it easier for coach tour companies and school parties to access the railway."

National Trust property East Riddlesden Hall also saw an increase in visitors last year, from 34,740 in 2013 to 36,629.

Carla Weatherall, visitor experience manager at the 17th-century house, said: "It was great to see an increase, especially as numbers had dropped by 2,000 in 2013 compared to the previous year."

She added that April was the most successful month, with numbers up 1,699 on the same period in 2013.

The Bronte Parsonage Museum at Haworth said its figures were still being finalised, but that there had been a slight fall in visitors.

"The first half of the year in particular was down a little," said a spokesman.

"We moved our admissions desk at the beginning of the year which meant we opened three weeks later than normal for the new season, so we started off on the back foot and were then playing catch up.

"Things picked up in the second half of the year and we anticipate that our admissions income will slightly exceed budget.

"The relocation of the admissions desk was a big improvement and also we've seen a significant increase in gift aid."

The museum opens for the new season on February 1.