Hopes are high for the future of the Shipley Glen Tramway after hard work and a cash injection have put the attraction's fortunes back on track.

A report by Dave Rogers, chairman of Glen Tramway Preservation Company Ltd, for Shipley Area Committee's meeting, said there were now grounds for optimism for the only working Victorian cable tramway in Britain.

Bradford Council granted a payment of £20,000 to cover the costs of a survey of its condition, public liability insurance, a new cable, repairs and maintenance as part of a rescue package last August.

The money is also being used to train new and existing volunteers.

The Glen Tramway Preser-vation Company Ltd took over the running of the 108-year-old tramway in January this year.

In the report Mr Rogers said: "The tramway is a large and serious undertaking which requires a lot of work to keep it going. It is also one of the district's gems, known and valued far beyond Bradford and capable of generating a high degree of dedication from all those who become involved with it."

A business plan is being produced to secure further funding which is to be used to refurbish the bottom station, including its Edwardian shop interior. The museum could also re-open.

Thousands of visitors flocked to the tramway's Santa Specials run at weekends in December.

The events, the most successful in 15 years, saw a 250 per cent rise on visitors compared with December 2001, with some 60 children an hour visiting Santa's grotto. But the report highlighted continuing problems for the tramway, which include attracting and training more volunteers and combating vandalism.

Mr Rogers said another concern was the feared development of a green-field site between the bottom of the tramway and Roberts Park.

The report said building on that site would hinder the possibility of continuing the tracks across the park and could "potentially damage the future viability of the tramway".

Councillors on the committee agreed to forward the report to the Council's transportation, design and planning director so progress of the tramway could be taken into account in the development of nearby Saltaire as a World Heritage Site.