Great Central seeks staff reductions
THE GREAT Central Railway has announced a voluntary redundancy scheme as it seeks to reduce its costs by £250,000.
The Leicestershire line informed its staff on January 15 about the redundancy programme, although it has not ruled out compulsory redundancies “if there are not enough expressions of interest in voluntary redundancy,” it warned. In addition to voluntary redundancies, the railway has sold a 50% stake in its ‘8F’ No. 48305 to the David Clarke Railway Trust – the GCR’s supporting charity – and has confirmed that other assets may be disposed of in future.
GCR general manager Malcolm Holmes explained the reasons for the course of action: “We are not alone in the heritage railway sector, or indeed the whole leisure industry, in having seen our overall costs increase hugely over the four years since the beginning of Covid and the Ukraine war. In particular, the cost of heating and lighting our sheds, stations and cafés is a substantial, unavoidable burden. We’re forced to pay an extraordinary price for coal for our locomotives, which has soared. In the meantime, families have less disposable income.
“We continue to grow, fundraise and diversify our business so we are far more of a visitor attraction than just a train ride, but the time has come where cost cutting can’t be avoided. It’s going to be a tough few weeks, because I am so proud of our team and the hard work they have invested in the railway.”
He added: “This is absolutely not a crisis situation, but a recognition that we are not immune to turbulent financial times, and we have to plan accordingly. The railway has ambitious plans to grow in the future. We have generous supporters who delight in seeing the line thrive, and hundreds of thousands of visitors each year who enjoy travelling on our heritage trains. We want to be a key economic driver in the East Midlands. We hope people will continue to support the railway.”