THE HRA VIEW
HERITAGE RAILWAY ASSOCIATION CHIEF EXEC STEVE OATES TACKLES STEAM’S BURNING ISSUES
A bumper season is in the offing, but uncertainty still lurks…
POTENTIALLY WE’RE ON THE BRINK OF A BUMPER SEASON
“EVERY SEAT filled and we’re scheduling extra trains.”… “40% up on the equivalent week in 2019”… “Fantastic – reopening’s going really well”… And so it is that heritage railways – together with other tourist attractions and many accommodation providers
– are already recording strong visitor numbers and excellent revenues as the country ‘unlocks’.
It’s clear there’s a very strong demand from the public to holiday and to take days out. And since the wider economy and tourism has resumed, albeit still with some restrictions, railways have generally been very busy. Looking ahead, with very few people travelling overseas this summer and accommodation in most UK tourist destinations already selling out, potentially we’re on the brink of a bumper season.
But as I write this, Scotland intends to delay the final easing of lockdown until July, Wales may not remove social distancing this year, and more delays are announced for England as Step 4 to exit lockdown is moved four weeks to July 19.
Yes, sure, we’re not going backwards, but delays and changes in expectations cause uncertainty. And uncertainty means stuff gets cancelled. Uncertainty means extra work is needed as plans have to change at short notice. Uncertainty means pre-selling with any confidence is, at best, challenging and, at worst, nigh-on impossible. Uncertainty means we’re in danger of now losing hard-won ground.
So, across the hospitality and leisure sectors, businesses and their trade associations are telling governments about the damage to businesses and jobs across their sectors. The headlines say it all: “We’re in serious trouble says hospitality sector”, and “Delay to full reopening a hammer blow, says live event sector”.
Ministers retort and say they’re confident restrictions will end next time – but then add that, of course, everything depends on the science.
But uncertainty is the engine of science. So when will certainty ever kick in?
As someone who has to keep a constant watch on seemingly endless and ever-changing political statements, legislation, government guidance and so on, the easy option is to let cynicism set in or to just shrug one’s shoulders and assume that, actually, nothing will change, nothing can be done and we just have to accept it.
But let’s not ‘just accept it’.
I don’t wish ill on any business or any sector that’s struggling to deal with the renewed uncertainty and the impact of delays to full reopening. Ultimately, we all need each other in the visitor economy. But with 2021 being the year of stay-cations, and with that massive latent desire among the public to go out and be entertained, we must all help our railways to pick up much of the business that other sectors are being forced to forego.
So use some of that spare cash you won’t be spending on a foreign holiday to visit many more heritage railways than your usual ‘fix’… and encourage others to do the same. And offer to help, to volunteer. There will be many roles that hard-pressed railways and over-stretched volunteers will need to fill.
We all have a role to ensure our railways survive and flourish
– to support and thank the heritage railway staff, volunteers, trustees and directors who have already worked so hard to keep their wheels turning.
As enthusiasts and supporters of heritage railways – and as readers of this magazine – let’s repeat what we all did last summer and make this a team effort. Let’s build on those headlines
I began with. Let’s make sure our headlines at the end of this summer are upbeat, positive and reflect a picture of a resilient and vibrant sector.
And have a think … Which headlines will you help to write?