Commuter Use
On weekends - in particular Saturday mornings, local residents who live in Oxenhope, Haworth, Oakworth and Ingrow catch the early morning diesel service to Keighley, and, often, from there to places beyond, to work or shop - returning later on Steam hauled services. During the weekday outside of the summer months, locals have to use the local bus services which typically take twice as long to reach a destination than any proposed commuter rail service, due to the nature of heavy traffic into and out of Keighley.
As a privately-owned heritage railway, the line does not specifically serve commuters; however, a study by Ove Arup & Partners funded by Metro looked at the feasibility of a daily commuter service between Oxenhope and Keighley in 2009. After the first stage of the study was released, Metro stated concerns about a lack of funding and available rolling stock, meaning that services are unlikely to run in the short to medium term.
Another study recently undertaken on behalf of the Worth Valley Joint Transport Committee has found that running up to four commuter trains each way in the morning and evening is feasible.
Read more about this topic: Keighley And Worth Valley Railway