Emergency appeal launched after landslip repair cash dries up
A DOUBLE emergency appeal for help has been issued by the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway – due to urgent repairs to a landslip being needed and the loss of its income streams because of the coronavirus pandemic.
As reported last issue, work on repairing the slip half a mile south of Gotherington station is already under way thanks to a substantial contribution from the line’s supporting charitable group, the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Trust. However, the money does not go far enough – and cannot now be supplemented by further income from ticket sales.
Repairs had been carried out sufficiently for trains safely to pass the site of the slip when the railway reopened on March 7 after its winter break, and special trains laid on for the Cheltenham Festival were run.
Temporary closure
However, the problem has rapidly escalated because, based on Government advice, the line has been shut until further notice, and special events such as Wartime in the Cotswolds and the Mortons Media Group-backed Cotswold Festival of Steam, both of which attract thousands of visitors, have been cancelled.
Therefore, the emergency appeal was launched on March 23 because the railway is now unable to fully fund the necessary civil engineering work to repair the damage.
Nonetheless, work on the embankment – which is undergoing ‘soil nailing’ and ‘sheet piling’ using specialist contractors to permanently repair the slip – which must continue in order to ensure the future of the railway, has now been suspended because of Covid-19.
The railway’s plc chairman Richard Johnson said: “Standing at the top of the affected embankment, we are in every sense staring into a black hole that is fast sucking in cash.
“We can’t halt work on the slip, which has turned out to be more severe than originally thought. We believe it was caused by persistent heavy rain following a dry summer. The ground is continuing to move.
“If we halt works now to save money, the eventual repair cost will be considerably greater than if work continues now – and, as if this wasn’t bad enough, the escalating coronavirus pandemic has meant that the line has had to close.
“What’s more, a high proportion of the team on our volunteer-run railway, are unable to offer their time because they are in the ‘high risk’ category and must self-isolate. The railway has just six employees but over 950 volunteers who operate the railway on a day-to-day basis.
“Closing the railway means money will very quickly run out and we are therefore appealing to supporters, shareholders and the public, who gain so much enjoyment from the operation of trains, to generously respond to our appeal.
“We need to raise at least £250,000 as quickly as we can. Otherwise the consequences are unthinkable: we would face a stark future for our line.
Support
“This is a real double blow. We believe we could have funded most of the embankment repair cost had trains been running and we could have planned for an appeal for support over a longer period. But trains are not running and we need to replace that lost revenue: and fast.”
However, big-hearted donors responded quickly and gave more than £50,000 in the first week of the appeal – making a fifth of the target, and illustrating that the public is ready and willing to support their heritage lines in their hour of dire need.
➜ If you would like to support the emergency appeal, donations can be made by bank transfer to Sort Code 30-90-89 Account 47638368 using the reference ‘Support the GWR’; or by sending a cheque payable to GWRT to The Chairman, GWRT, Churchward House, Winchcombe Railway Station, Winchcombe, Glos GL54 5LD.
Further information on how to support the railway is available at www.gwsr.com