Severn Valley Railway to move ahead with landslip repairs

The Severn Valley Railway has announced that it can now move ahead with repairs to the landslip it suffered at Mor Brook bridge in late January. This follows a decision by the heritage line’s insurers to settle its claim in respect of the incident.

The insurers have agreed to pay for the full reinstatement of the bridge’s wing wall and stone arch as well as the embankment itself. The railway says that the final costs will be significantly more than half a million pounds.

The SVR’s managing director, Jonathan ‘Gus’ Dunster explained more:

"We are delighted with this decision by our insurers, which means we can now move ahead with fixing things. Nevertheless, the SVR is still going to be responsible for funding a substantial excess as part of the settlement.

"We are still in negotiation with the insurers about the exact amount, but thanks to the generous donations that supporters have made to the SVR Resilience Fund and the SVR Charitable Trust since the landslip, we are confident that we will be able to cover this.

"What’s important here is that our insurance company’s acceptance of the claim means we will not have to launch a full-scale appeal for the landslip repairs, which would have meant further delays before we could put things right."

In conjunction with its insurers, the SVR has appointed civil engineering contractors CML to carry out all the works required at Mor Brook to reinstate the line. The railway’s infrastructure management and permanent way teams will be working with CML to provide logistical support and carry out work related to the track.

SVR head of infrastructure Chris Bond said:

"Firstly, CML must carry out essential and detailed civil engineering design work. Over the next three to four weeks, our own permanent way team will remove track in preparation for the main contract works to commence.

"Subject to statutory approvals from the Environment Agency and National Grid, we hope to start the main contract works within six to eight weeks.

"Timescales are still subject to the production of a final programme of works, and we will provide an update on this in due course. Clearly, at this stage it is impossible to pin down a finish date. This will depend on many variables, such as the weather, procurement of materials and gaining statutory approvals. It is unlikely to be completed before the middle of the summer and it could be later, depending on these variables."

"The delay in starting has of course been frustrating for everyone concerned," added Gus Dunster. "However, an important factor has been the need to wait for our insurers to make their decision. Had we made an earlier start, it could have jeopardised our claim.

"I would like to pay tribute to both Antony Bartlam, our consultant civil and structural engineer and SVR volunteer, and Chris Bond, our head of infrastructure, for the dedication and hard work they have already put in to get us to this important stage. This has been a highly complex situation to resolve, and it was important to move carefully and slowly to ensure a proper and long-lasting solution, rather than rushing in to attempt a quick fix.

"Once again, on behalf of the railway, I want to thank everyone who has donated to help us, including the Bahamas Locomotive Society who are donating a day’s steaming fee when 45596 is with us for the Spring Steam Gala later this month. We are humbled at the level of support that we’ve received."

The SVR is currently operating along the 12-mile stretch of its line between Kidderminster and Hampton Loade. It will hold two major enthusiast events over the coming weeks; the Spring Steam Gala between 18 and 21 April, and the Spring Diesel Festival between 15 and 18 May.

And staff are gearing up for the extended Easter holiday season, with services operating from 12 to 27 April. However, the line is closed to the public on 14 and 25 April.