As investigations continue into a devastating landslip on its line, the Severn Valley Railway has released dramatic new images of the damage caused and has paid tribute to the hundreds of people who’ve already made donations to help it pay for remedial work. The heritage line is also reassuring passengers that it will be open to the public on 15 February for half-term, on the 12-mile section of its line that is unaffected.
Last week [Wednesday 29 January] SVR staff discovered that a large landslip had occurred, leaving the line impassable. It has affected a 30-metre section of embankment in Shropshire, between the SVR’s northernmost station Bridgnorth and the smaller station at Hampton Loade.
Investigations began immediately and are ongoing, as head of infrastructure Chris Bond explained:
‘We’ve made a number of visits with specialist engineers, and Network Rail are sending a team of geotechnical and infrastructure experts later this week, as part of the partnership agreement we have with them.
‘We’re carefully building a picture of what’s happened, but it’s still early days. We need to begin ground investigations by drilling boreholes to gather geotechnical data of what lies beneath the surface. This is important information that will assist with the engineering design of the repairs.
‘It’s essential that we don’t rush this investigation. We need to gather extensive information, so that we can be sure that we take the most robust and effective measures to repair the embankment for the long term.’
Meanwhile, the SVR has received almost £36,000 in donations from many hundreds of supporters, as well as practical offers of help from a number of sources. Managing director Jonathan ‘Gus’ Dunster said:
‘It’s a huge boost to us to know how much people care about the Severn Valley Railway, and how they’re prepared to dig deep to help us repair the damage, and get our line fully up and running again. We are incredibly grateful to every single person who’s rallied round.
‘We’ve also received offers of practical help – from both specialist companies who want to donate their services and from individuals who say they’ll come and join a volunteer working party, when the time is right. All of this support will make a tangible difference to us.
With half-term services due to commence on 15 February, including character meetings with Paddington™ at The Engine House, Highley, the SVR is reassuring passengers that they will be able to travel on the unaffected section of its line between Kidderminster and Hampton Loade. It is contacting people who pre-booked Bridgnorth departures to offer them an alternative departure from Kidderminster. The railway has also confirmed that its brand-new Boogie Lights Express experience will go ahead as planned, starting on 28 February.
Article shared on 29th January:
A serious embankment failure has occurred on the Severn Valley Railway, leaving the track impassable at one location along the 16-mile route. The popular heritage line is likely to face a large repair bill, and disruption to services at the northern end of its route.
The damage happened around 300 metres north of an area known as Sterns on the Shropshire section of the line. Although the Sterns area has suffered previous landslips with considerable remedial work already carried out, the location of this failure is not one the railway previously had concerns about. The SVR’s head of infrastructure Chris Bond visited the site to make a preliminary inspection and explained more:
‘We’ve suffered a significant embankment failure and damage to approximately 30 metres of the track and track bed. The area remains in a dangerous state and further slippage may occur so we are warning people to stay well away.
‘We will seek further guidance from specialist contractors, but it’s already clear this will be a major infrastructure repair project that will take considerable time and money.’
The affected area lies between the SVR’s northern terminus station at Bridgnorth and the smaller Hampton Loade station. Until the railway can repair its line, it won’t be able to operate services between the two stations, although fortunately the rest of the line, between Kidderminster and Hampton Loade, is not affected and can operate.
SVR managing director Jonathan ‘Gus’ Dunster explained more about the impact of the situation:
‘We’re due to reopen on 15 February for half-term and the start of our 2025 season, but clearly services between Bridgnorth and Hampton Loade cannot run. We want to reassure passengers who’ve pre-booked tickets that we’ll be in touch soon by email, and they don’t need to phone us. We’ll get this sorted out as quickly as we possibly can.
‘There is of course, a further impact on us as a heritage line, and that’s the cost we now face to bring our full line back into operation. Things were just beginning to stabilise for the SVR, following several years of financial struggles, and this is the last thing we needed.
‘Inevitably, we’re going to have to find the funds to pay for this essential repair, and would welcome all the help that we can get. If you would like to assist, we would be extremely grateful, and you can donate to the SVR Resilience Fund.’
