WEST SOMERSET NEEDS £2.5M TO GET TRACK UP TO SCRATCH
Infrastructure works could take five years, although regaining ‘Red Route’ status is a priority.
The West Somerset Railway needs a total of £2½ million over the next five years to complete its infrastructure upgrades.
The railway is currently trying to raise £250,000 to fund necessary permanent way works in order to regain its ‘Red Route’ status (SR494) – for which the Watchet to Minehead section will be closed from November until March 2020, although the winter seasonal services and February half-term trains will continue to run.
However, WSR chairman Jonathan Jones-Pratt confirmed
to Steam Railway that the railway needs to invest £2½m, or £500,000 per year, for the next five years to bring its infrastructure up to standard. He said: “We are putting together a five-year plan that will allow investment to achieve the necessary standards, and ensure that we are back on track.”
WSR spokesman Dick Wood commented: “All of the works which we want to do could take five years or longer to do, but achieving the ‘Red Route’ status again quickly is a priority and a track study is being done to identify the quickest way of achieving that ambition. Not everything has to be done immediately for that to happen, but work has to be assessed and planned.”
Mr Jones-Pratt added: “We have commissioned an independent review of all rail and trackbeds, and we plan for this to start in August. Running as a ‘Blue Route’ isn’t helpful, and the hope is that our recent plea for support will enable us, with a sensible plan, to get ‘Red Route’ operation back for 2020. That is one of the company’s main drives at the moment, and I hope that this will then give people the confidence in our railway again, as I know it has disappointed many that we had to take the hard decision of reducing the axle load.
“It is imperative that support comes in, and we are doing all we can to get our business performing so we can also invest. This is a collective process to achieve what’s needed.”
●● To support the WSR Association’s ‘Rail Renewal 2019’ appeal, visit www.justgiving.com/ campaign/railrenewal2019
At the time of going to press (July 17), the total raised stood at £25,497.21 – 10% of the total required.
●● The WSR is to completely restructure its board, following a comprehensive business review which highlighted “some critical business failures which have resulted in significant financial losses accruing to the plc. Results for the 15 months to March 31 2019, when published, will illustrate the extent of the sharp decline in the financial condition of the plc,” said Mr Jones-Pratt.