`Train' plan idea for Wall.

Tourism bosses trying to draw visitors from Hadrian's Wall have come up with a novel new idea to transport them into town.

The plan for a road train - shaped like train carriages, but running on wheels rather than rails - is one of a number of suggestions to boost tourist figures in Haltwhistle, Northumberland.

Regeneration experts trying to breathe new life into the area say it could be the ideal way to stop visitors to Hadrian's Wall bypassing their town.

The train would run from Hadrian's Wall into Haltwhistle, taking in attractions like The Burn beauty spot on the way.

Other proposals - set out in two reports released yesterday - include a heritage and visitor centre, a community cinema, an attraction featuring memorabilia from Titanic sister ship the RMS Olympic and a craft centre - all linked to Haltwhistle's Centre of Britain theme.

The first document, A Feasibility Study for Tourism Developments in Haltwhistle, says a new visitor centre in the town centre would provide a big boost for its services and businesses while other ideas like the road train could be put in place later.

In the second report, Haltwhistle Countryside Exchange 2003, American experts drafted in to give their views say "Haltwhistle has all the ingredients to enable it to generate real and lasting benefits from tourism," but it should build on its Centre of Britain theme.