Railway steams to share offer success

The Severn Valley Railway is close to the end of its journey to raise £2.5m through a share offer.

It launched the scheme last November to help fund transformative works at Bridgnorth Station.

The share offer closed last night and although the final figure has not yet been calculated the Railway is “confident” it has reached its £2.5m target.

The Severn Valley Railway is a 16-mile heritage line from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster which mainly uses steam trains.

The money raised will be used to create “much-improved visitor facilities whilst at the same time conserving and enhancing the line’s main destination station”.

Its last official total was £2.43m, which had been boosted by significant late interest.

More than £750,000 was raised in October alone as the campaign built up steam with the deadline approaching.

The total cost of the project to transform Bridgnorth station will be around £5m.

Severn Valley Railway general manager Nick Ralls said: “This really is the most significant development in the Railway’s history. The original infrastructure and buildings at Bridgnorth were never designed to cope with the large volume of passengers we have today. We’ll be creating a dramatically improved experienced for visitors and staff, and boosting the local economy.” 

The changes will include a newly-built refreshment room and restroom facilities, in a 1900s Great Western building style, and the installation of a restored turntable in the locomotive yard. The ability to turn locomotives at the north end of the Railway is expected to “be a huge attraction for visitors and an invaluable operational asset”.