A historic railway could be under threat as it looks for £1.5 million to secure its future.

For 130 years, the Volks Railway has travelled the mile-long route along Brighton seafront.

But, with railway operators expressing fears over how long it can safely operate, finance chiefs at Brighton and Hove City Council said it may be forced to step in if it fails to get funding to make the attraction more sustainable.

It comes as a revised lottery funding bid to turn the first public electric railway in the world into an all-weather attraction has been submitted.

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Speaking in a recent council meeting, Conservative councillor Geoffrey Theobald said: “I always fear we will get to the situation where the trains can't be repaired and the service will be put in a very difficult position.

“It's really quite important to the city.”

It comes as the local authority confirmed there are problems with its outdated sheds which are supported by scaffolding and suffering from water ingress.

Bosses add Her Majesty's Railway Inspectorate is increasingly concerned by the ability of the railway to continue operating safely.

The council has managed to allocate £250,000 towards a new temporary shed.

But a bid for £1.47m from the Coastal Communities Fund to build four “solar trees” and create the world's first solar powered electric railway failed in January.

A separate bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund has also been knocked back.

Catherine Vaughan, the council's finance director, said: “We do keep trying to seek external funding.

“I think it is right for councillors to note that if it's unsuccessful we would have exhausted all options of external funding and, at that point, we will need to decide if we have to allocate additional funding from our own budgets.

“We have already set aside nearly £250,000 and it's a very substantial amount of money to carry on increasing it but that may be a dilemma members are faced with if this next bid is unsuccessful.”

Peter Williams, of Volk's Electric Railway Association (VERA), which has supported the lottery bid, said: “We are confident there is a strong case for Volk's Electric Railway to receive lottery funds.

“As the lottery application is at a critical stage, it is inappropriate for VERA to conjecture on what might happen if the bid fails.”

He added plans for a temporary restoration shed were being developed with the council and work could start in spring.