THE OFFICIAL VOICE OF PRESERVATION
HERITAGE RAILWAY ASSOCIATION CHIEF EXEC STEVE OATES TACKLES STEAM’S BURNING ISSUES
IT’S JULY, the sun is shining and for most heritage railways the peak visitor season is well under way. Happily, having re-emerged from the ravages of the pandemic with all of its restrictions and lockdowns, preservation rail is back up and running. Across the UK, gleaming vintage locos are ready to haul trains full of visitors, ensuring they have a great experience and getting the cash rolling in.
But for some railways, getting the experience right, getting the cash in, and meeting business targets this summer could be critical.
This post-Brexit, post COP26, post-Covid world, plus the conflict in mainland Europe, is causing business costs to increase exponentially; significant cost-of-living rises, and issues such as the massive petrol price increases are forcing some volunteers to rethink the affordability of travelling. As if all that wasn’t enough, heatwaves and the situation in Downing Street do little to inspire stability and certainty.
Our sector shows resilience like few others. It’s how we survived Covid. It’s why railways can bounce back (or at least claw their way back) when stuff goes wrong. But hand in hand with resilience goes adaptability. I and many others have written about it before and the need to change to face today’s new challenges cannot and must not be ignored.
But hang on. It’s summer. Holiday time. Am I being negative? Believe me, there are plenty of positives.
Right now, on almost any given day, it’s possible to take your pick from Great Western, Southern, Eastern, Scottish or Midland lines to take a trip out with steam. You can pick standard gauge or narrow gauge, look for the ideal branch line re-creation or go for a big adventure behind a South African Garratt. No other country on earth offers the same quantity, quality or variety of heritage rail experiences as the UK. We are genuinely a world leader – and what else can you say that about in the current landscape?
So far, in 2022, visitors and revenues, while not brilliant are, generally speaking, holding up, and heritage rail has cause to be relatively happy with where it finds itself – certainly compared to many sectors in the wider visitor economy. And reassuringly, in the halls of government, there’s a growing understanding of just how important heritage rail is for tourism and our economy. Yes, there’s plenty to be positive about.
During the pandemic, I remember pinching a great phrase… “the crystal ball has been switched off”. Trouble is, I’m not sure it’s been switched on again. All the costs and other pressures I mentioned earlier make forward planning and budgeting ever more difficult.
Managers and others are facing difficult choices every day. As one general manager said recently: “All heritage railways in the UK are fighting against the costs of running heritage rail… As we sit here in 2022, the challenges are really different from what they looked like at the turn of the century”.
I can be as guilty as anybody when it comes to dwelling on the challenges we face as a sector – it’s the job of the HRA to do so, after all. There’s much to appreciate so get out there and visit your favourite railway – and one you’ve never been to before!
And when you’re there, please respect the fact that they’re having to make some very tough decisions. Please support new initiatives to expand the experiences on offer. And please accept that some things may not be to your liking.
Just enjoy it… and please play your part in making some of those decisions just a little bit easier.
MANAGERS AND OTHERS ARE FACING DIFFICULT CHOICES EVERY DAY