Steam railway given permission for extra trips

The Telford Steam Railway’s (TSR) planning permission previously only allowed trips between 9.30am and 6.30pm on 35 days annually.

The trust that runs the service, including the popular Polar Express Train Ride, applied to extend that to 75 days and offer evening services as late as 9.30pm.

In a supporting statement, Telford Horsehay Steam Trust chairman Paul Hughes said the changes were needed to continue running the licensed movie tie-in event.

Telford and Wrekin Council approved the proposal this week but a TSR statement, published earlier this summer, said all bookings for the rest of 2020 had been cancelled, and invited ticket-holders to rearrange for a 2021 date.

Initial planning permission to change the use of the Horsehay-based line to a “historic recreational railway” was granted in 1992 and included the condition that “Steam Trust facilities shall not be available to the general public on more than 35 days in any one calendar year” without council permission.

In 2007, when a line extension and new station were approved, a condition was added limiting the number of round trips to six a day, all between 9.30am and 6.30pm on Sundays and Bank Holidays between Easter and the end of September and Saturdays and Sundays in December.

A planning statement, submitted with the trust’s latest change-of-conditions application form, said “grand plans of expansion” were previously limited by a lack of funds.

It added: “This expansion is based on the railway securing a license to run a branded event from the film company Warner Bros.

“The event is hugely successful, attracting over 90,000 visitors and generating an income of just under £3 million pounds since its inception in 2016.

“During November and December the railway needs to be able to operate for up to 30 days from midday to 9pm with five departures per day.”

The approval notice, sent by the council to Mr Hughes, said 45 journeys are now allowed from Easter Sunday to Halloween, taking place between 9.30am to 9pm and capped at six round trips per day. Thirty more round trips can take place from November 1 to New Year’s Eve between 12noon and 9pm, with a maximum of five per day.

But, in July, TelfordSteamRailway.co.uk published a statement saying the line would remain closed “for the remainder of 2020”.

It added: “This is not a decision we have taken lightly and it puts very severe financial strain on the railway with the loss of income, but we value your safety first and foremost and that of our wonderful volunteers and supporters.”

Those with previously-booked experience packages would be contacted, and new booking dates for next year would be made available in mid-October, it said.

“If government restrictions are relaxed further we may look at the possibility of hosting a gala or special event towards the end of the year,” the statement added.

“Please keep checking the website for further updates.”