Talyllyn has bumper season despite postlockdown start

THE Talyllyn Railway has bucked the effects of the Covid-19 lockdown by reporting financial figures for last year – the 70th anniversary season of the world’s first volunteer-run heritage line – that are almost as high as in 2019 before the pandemic began.

General manager Stuart Williams said: “The Covid restrictions that were in force at the start of this year meant that we couldn’t open until May, so we had missed the early part of the season and Easter, which traditionally would have seen us take about 15% of our annual income. To be almost matching the 2019 turnover figure is better than we could have ever envisaged; even more so when we have been having to restrict numbers of passengers. We’ve been inundated with positive comments about the way we managed the services to be Covid-safe. The extra revenue is making a big difference to the winter finances."

In past years the line would shut after October half-term until the Santa season, but this year it was decided to run every weekend until the end of the year, and daily from Boxing Day to January 5. However, the railway returned to compartment-only bookings after the Welsh Government imposed Covid restrictions on December 26, and trains were stopped after January 3 due to staff Covid absence.