Severn Valley Railway on track to carry 1/4 of a million passengers

The Royal train on the SVR. Picture: www.upmain.com

The Severn Valley Railway is on course to have carried 250,000 passengers by the end of the season, only the second time the popular heritage line has passed the 1/4 million mark in its preservation history. The last time the SVR carried so many passengers was in 2005, when 252,000 took a ride over the 16 mile line.

The line was badly hit by floods over 2 years ago and was visited by Prince Charles, on a steam hauled Royal train, in June 2008 when he came to see the repairs carried out at the railway.

It is hoped to install a wheel drop at the railway’s Bridgnorth depot, once enough funds have been raised. This will help with maintenance work on the large fleet of steam locomotives based on the railway. The railway is also home to a number of diesel locomotives and a depot for maintaining them is to be constructed at Kidderminster.