Help us fund upgrades while line closed – West Somerset
ALREADY having tackled a winter backlog of permanent way renewal in a bid to bring its running line up to scratch, the West Somerset Railway Association (WSRA) has appealed for donations to upgrade more infrastructure while the line is closed because of coronavirus.
The railway cancelled the opening of its season on March 21 because of the crisis.
A WSRA statement said: “The WSR plc is now considering how it can make best use of the period of enforced closure, perhaps by tackling further infrastructure projects and transferring staff to work on those.
“The WSRA has already opened a fund for infrastructure works, intended for use in the winter of 2020/21. We’ve decided to promote that fund now and be prepared to pay for infrastructure works in the coming weeks if suitable projects can be identified by WSR plc.
“WSRA members and supporters of the WSR have been generous in past months in funding the return to traffic of locomotive No. 9351 and the rail renewal projects last winter. We ask those supporters now to consider if they can again support the railway’s improvement at this difficult time and turn a negative into a positive.”
In a statement on March 27, WSR plc chairman Jonathan Jones-pratt said: “As we reflect, last year has been described as tumultuous for the WSR, and we all thought 2020 would be the year when we could rebuild and plan again for our long-term future. We were well supported last year and the plc’s cash in the bank was poised to see us through until this year’s trading enabled us to build it up again. Covid-19 has changed all that.
“The closure period will last at least until June, but it may well be longer. We now need to ensure the ‘Wizzer ‘is placed into a safe ‘care and maintenance’ position, to allow the railway to be safeguarded and to ensure its resilience, that may mean pretty difficult decisions for 2020. We need to ensure that when the time is appropriate we can reignite both safely and effectively.”
➜ Donations can be made online at www.justgiving.com/campaign/ railrenewal2020 or by direct bank transfer to the WSRA at sort code 03-97-00, account No. 00443258 using reference ‘rail2020’ or by card over the telephone between 10am-4pm on Tuesdays to Saturdays on 01823 433856. Alternatively, send a cheque to Rail Renewal 2020, WSRA, The Railway station, Bishops Lydeard, Taunton, TA4 3BX.