UNIVERSITY students have won glowing praise for "making a real difference" to rail travel locally during the past year.

A group of ten students came together for an Access for All project, centring on the Bentham Line – which includes the Airedale route through Keighley.

They produced a groundbreaking booklet around accessibility on the line, which runs between Leeds and Morecambe.

The publication includes details of provision at each station and on trains, such as ramps and priority seating, to help those with mobility problems and hidden disabilities.

There is also a QR code, which enables people to link to a three-minute video illustrating the layout and provision at each station and on the Class 158 trains which operate along the route.

The booklet, the first of its kind, is already being viewed as a model for other railway lines.

Its production, and an associated poster campaign, was supported with a grant from Northern Rail's Seed Corn Fund.

The students have also initiated some infrastructure improvements. With support from Leeds-Morecambe Community Rail Partnership, they arranged for new access signage to be provided at three sites. Plus, a dropped kerb has been installed at Steeton & Silsden Station to improve accessibility.

Work on the project formed part of the students' involvement in Northern's Year in Industry scheme, during which participants experience life in various departments and at different locations.

Leeds-Morecambe Community Rail Partnership has supported the scheme for four years.

The students presented details of their project to representatives of Northern, including senior managers and directors, and the partnership at an event in Leeds.

Claire Weir, for Northern, said: "The Bentham Line provides great opportunities where the students can work together.

"We are really proud of what they have achieved and hopefully they'll be able to reflect on the creative value they have brought to the project as a team. I am sure this will stand them in good stead for their future careers."

Gerald Townson, chair of Leeds-Morecambe Community Rail Partnership, said: "Community rail has acted as the ‘glue’ between the students throughout their time in the railway industry. This helped them to achieve a successful wide-ranging project together, to create a good team spirit and enjoy a rewarding experience."

Copies of the booklet are available from staffed stations on the route and by post from the partnership's offices at Bentham Station, LA2 7LF, or can be downloaded at thebenthamline.co.uk.