Getting to York's National Railway Museum: walk v road train? Our reporter MAXINE GORDON puts both to the test
IT'S 10.50am and I'm early for the first departure to York's National Railway Museum.
I'm hoping to catch the 11.10 from outside York Minster at Duncombe Place for the 10-minute ride to York's National Railway Museum.
There's only one hitch: the timetable says the departure time is 11.30 (turns out the 11.10 departure is from the NRM; I read the information on the museum's website wrongly!).
And so, I decided to walk to the museum, and catch the train back.
My mission, which I have chosen to accept from our Press editor Ben, is to see which method of transport is best.
It follows some readers' letters complaining about the longer walk to the museum in Leeman Road during improvement works to the world-renowned attraction.
Some have complained that the new route is much longer and arduous for people who might struggle with their mobility.
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En route to the NRM
Heading out from the Minster the first signpost I see for the NRM is at the junction between Station Avenue and the start of Leeman Road, with the Memorial Gardens on the right.
Sign to York's National Railway Museum
(Image: Staff)
Further on, there is a big sign with an arrow at the pedestrian tunnel with another hoarding directing pedestrians left instead of straight ahead, which was the route for decades before the access was closed for the museum revamp.
The first people I chat to on the way are a mum and son from Los Angeles, Virginia, and Christopher Toledo, who had come to York especially to visit the NRM.
Visiting from LA - Virginia Toledo and her son Christopher on their way on foot to the NRM
(Image: Staff)
With smart phone in hand, they said they'd found the route easy to follow via online maps.
"It's all pretty straightforward as York is pretty walkable," said Virginia.
Using the Park & Ride
Rachel Bentley and Mark Phillip had travelled in from Harrogate, catching the Park & Ride bus from Poppleton. They were pushing their 18-month-old grandson in a buggy.
Rachel Bentley and Mark Phillip with grandson at the NRM
(Image: Staff)
The bus had a stop specifically for the NRM, although Mark wondered if there could be one nearer the entrance to shorten the walk.
"They could have a temporary one – if you struggled with your mobility or were disabled, it is a long walk," he said.
'We'll get a taxi back'
Sharon Ashcroft and daughter Bethany had come by train from Huddersfield and had not realised there was now a longer walk around the perimeter of the NRM site to reach the entrance.
Sharon Ashcroft and her daughter Bethany from Huddersfield
(Image: Staff)
Walking with a stick while she awaited a hip replacement operation, Sharon said: "It's been really hard to walk. We've been here before but it was a while ago and we still have to walk around the museum. We'll get a taxi back to the train station."
'I thought it was closed'
Sharon Robinson from Saltburn was enjoying a short break in York and had walked from the city centre to the NRM – and was taken aback when the usual route was blocked off.
Sharon Robinson, waiting for the road train at the NRM back to York city centre
(Image: Staff)
"I thought, what's going on here? I thought it had closed down."
After enjoying a visit to the museum, which she praised for having free general admission, she joined me in the queue for the road train back to the city centre.
'That was fun'
At 11.45am the road train came into sight. I was first in the queue, which by now was long enough to fill up the carriages for the journey back to town.
Prices for the one-way trip are £5 for adults and £4 for children; you can pay by cash or card. While waiting for the train, I saw a few groups and families arrive and leave by Uber. Parking at the NRM costs £10 for the day.
The train back left at 11.54am and headed all the way up Leeman Road before turning left and taking the new road back towards town.
The train was surprisingly bumpy, hot (it was getting close to 30C outside) and smelly (diesel fumes?). So it wasn't a totally pleasant experience, although it was quicker: within 10 minutes I had disembarked in front of the Minster.
There was a roar of "whooooa" from passengers – as if we were on a fairground ride – as we went through the darkness of the Leeman Road tunnel.
Watch: Road train from York Minster to NRM
One person who thoroughly loved it all was six-year-old York girl Ella Boughton, who was enjoying a day out with her mum Hayley Robinson.
Ella said: "It was really, really fun. It was really dark when we went through the tunnel. I wanted to stay on and go all the way back."
Hayley Robinson and her daughter Ella Boughton who loved taking the road train from the NRM to York
(Image: Staff)
Walk v road train: our verdict
If you have decent mobility and enjoy a walk, heading to the NRM by foot, either from York Railway Station, York Minster, or the city centre, is an easy and straightforward stroll – best of all, it is free.
If you struggle with mobility or are walking with small children, then taking the road train, going by bus, or even travelling by taxi are options.
How could things be improved? There are several benches en route, but no shelter. Given our hot summers, this might be a simple way to offer some respite to people making their way to the museum while works are underway.
View from the NRM
A National Railway Museum spokesperson said: "We appreciate that the route to the museum is longer while we work to transform our site and we are working closely with our partners to minimise the impact on visitors.
"The current walking route is a temporary measure to enable safe access during this period.
"With support from York Central partners and City of York Council, extra signage has been added to help with wayfinding.
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York National Railway Museum makes major change to help customers
"There are multiple benches along the route for rest stops, and the museum’s road train runs regularly between York Minster and the museum entrance.
"As part of our wider transformation, we are constructing a new entrance building, Central Hall, which will create a more direct route to the museum from York railway station, connect all of the museum’s buildings and provide level access throughout the museum for the first time, creating a more accessible and welcoming space.
"We are deeply grateful to all those who continue to visit and support us while we work hard to transform the National Railway Museum, creating new spaces for visitors to enjoy."
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