Rising costs ‘could lead to the loss of heritage venues’

THE Severn Valley Railway is facing a 300% rise in material costs due to the war in Ukraine.

Most coal and pig iron used by the railway came from Russia and it must pay more for supplies, said managing director Helen Smith. The price of steam coal has more than doubled.

Helen said that heritage sites could close because of rising costs: “The pandemic has really left us in a difficult position and that, on top of a cost-of-living crisis, is making it incredibly difficult to run heritage attractions of any kind.

“Who knew that most of the pig iron we use in this country comes from Russia. Our coal came from Russia pre-pandemic.

“All sorts of material costs have risen unbelievably – 300% – because of what’s happening in Europe at the minute, so we’re being hit at every kind of angle.”

The invasion of Ukraine in February effectively ended exports from two major coal suppliers.

Class 10 D4067 outside the Great Central Railway’s carriage and wagon works at Rothley on September 4, after being repainted into the National Coal Board livery it carried in the 1970s prior to preservation. ROBIN JONES