East Lancashire Railway comes steaming back!
THE East Lancashire Railway is set to welcome back passengers for the first time in over four months as it restores services to its lines from this weekend.
The cherished heritage attraction, which runs between Rawtenstall, Ramsbottom, Bury and Heywood, was forced to close in late March at the onset of lockdown.
But, after adopting a raft of new safety measures, heritage steam and diesel trains will once more journey along their tracks, with a special revised schedule from August 1 onwards.
The trial timetable will initially operate over the first two weekends (August 1-2 and August 8-9) while the railway builds up to a full service.
Passengers asked to book in advance - with discounts for those who choose to do so, though there will be limited seating available for those who want to pay on the day.
The railway’s return follows months of uncertainty, during which its long-term future was cast into doubt. Shortly after closing its doors, it launched the East Lancashire Railway Support Fund in a bid to raise the £200,000 required to secure its survival.
The public appeal has so far raised £145,000 with a further £125,000 donated by the East Lancs Railway Preservation Society.
ELR chairman Mike Kelly said: “We are absolutely overjoyed to welcome passengers back to the railway.
“It’s been a long and financially challenging four months for everyone involved as our revenues dried up overnight. But, through the incredible efforts of our staff, volunteers and supporters, we’ve managed to get through this really difficult period.
“I’d like to thank every single person who has contributed to our fundraising efforts. Without it we would have struggled to reopen, but we need to be vigilant as the pathway to survival is not yet assured. We now face many months of hard work to scale back up our operations and ensure our loyal customers can return to enjoy the full experience of our heritage railway.”
The ELR’s two pubs The Trackside and Buffer Stops successfully reopened early in July.
ELR has been awarded the visitor safety charter mark ‘We’re Good To Go’, the industry standard overseen by VisitEngland, to verify they are following all government and industry Covid-19 guidelines.
An enhanced cleaning regime will be adopted across the network, which will see trains cleaned after every journey. Hand sanitiser will be freely available and station toilets will be frequently cleaned.
There will be no toilets available on-board trains for the time being, but facilities will be available at stations. In line with current government advice passengers will be asked to wear face masks in stations and on the train.