Tickets on-sale for heritage line's major events

Visitors have the opportunity to get spring off to a great start with a heritage rail journey on the Severn Valley Railway. Tickets for its Spring Steam Gala, Spring Diesel Festival, Step Back to the 1940s and regular services are on-sale, in advance of the railway reopening on April 2.

Its Spring Steam Gala is the first special event of 2022. Taking place on April 21 – 24, it offers passengers unlimited travel behind the best of the SVR home fleet along with at least two special locomotive guests from other railways. There’s a change of traction between May 19 – 22, as its Spring Diesel Festival promises a full-throttle four-day treat for fans of all classes of heritage diesel locomotives, taken from the SVR’s unrivalled home fleet, alongside three visiting locomotives. At both events, the return of the popular multi-day rover tickets means passengers can make significant savings by buying multiple day tickets.

Class 52 D1015 'Western Champion' crosses over Wribbenhall Viaduct and enters Bewdley Station. KENNY FELSTEAD

Summer 2022 marks the SVR’s 27th ‘Step Back to the 1940s’ event and it’s set to prove as popular as always. Last year’s event was a sell-out and this year there’ll be more attractions than ever before, as visitors dress up to the nines to enjoy sights, sounds and tastes from the Flyin’ Forties.

The Severn Valley Railway's 'Step Back to the 1940s' event sees many participants dress in period costume. PAUL HASTIE

“A trip on the SVR is all about getting away from the every day,” said Michael Dunn, head of visitor experience at the SVR. “We know many people are keen to secure their tickets as soon as possible for our headline events, and we’re delighted to have them on sale early in the year. For our regular services, we’ve frozen the price of individual pre-booked tickets at last year’s rates, and we’re working on some exciting packages for families and frequent travellers, to make sure that heritage rail travel at the SVR is more affordable than ever before.“

GWR 2857 at Tenbury Wall. STEVE RICHARDS

Michael continued, "We’ve got a fabulous line-up of things happening this year from model railway weekends, to dance and vintage transport events. We’re especially excited about our special four-day celebration for The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee from June 2 – 5, and with the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games on our doorstep this summer, we’re looking forward to welcoming a new audience of visitors from across the world.

Further information and booking details can be found on the Severn Valley Railway's website.

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