The Swanage Railway is reopening with a special fundraising train service with protection for both passengers and staff.
Socially distanced seating will only be bookable online, and passengers will have to wear face masks on trains, with the Class 33 running non-stop from Swanage to Norden and return, with no stop at Corfe Castle.
The Swanage Railway has been awarded Good To Go certification by Visit England to demonstrate that the heritage railway has met the required compliance of its COVID19 preparation and precautions.
An Ex-BR (SR) Class 33 locomotive will haul the train service every day from Saturday 11 July 2020 until Friday 31 July 2020. Passengers onboard will NOT be able to alight or board the train at Norden.
The five-carriage trains will run four times a day and will start from Swanage, but will not call at Herston Halt, Harman's Cross and Corfe Castle.
With the online booking system open on the Swanage Railway website, the heritage diesel trains will depart Swanage at 10:30, 12:00, 1:30 pm, and 3 pm for a 45-minute journey.
Swanage Railway Trust chairman Gavin Johns said: “We have undertaken a full risk assessment, using Government guidance, that has enabled us to prepare for services that are safe for passengers and staff with trains being cleaned after every journey.
“Trains will be regularly cleaned, and surfaces wiped while also being sanitised with a long-lasting spray proven to kill the virus. Seating on trains will be limited to ensure that social distancing can be maintained.
“All passengers and staff on trains will be required – unless exempt for health reasons – to wear face coverings. All seats will be pre-booked in blocks of four to prevent overcrowding and ensure that social distancing can be maintained.
“Any blocks of seats made available for purchase on the day at Swanage station will have to be paid for by contactless card methods while the movement of the public at the station will be managed to ensure that social distancing is maintained,” added Mr Johns, a volunteer signalman on the Swanage Railway.
To protect the health of passengers, there will be no toilets on trains – toilets at Swanage will be open however.
There will also be a wheelchair space on each train.
The catering outlets at Swanage and Norden stations will remain closed.
Gavin Johns explained: “To offer a safe passenger experience requires a different approach to using our trains and the need to reduce seat availability to 40 per cent to ensure social distancing means that the cost of the operation of the trains is critical.
“Our regulators are expecting us to follow a soft approach to the re-start of services to help us gain familiarity with safe Covid-19 compliant operation, hence the decision to run four non-stop Swanage to Norden trains a day from Saturday, 11 July, 2020.
“Initially, we are using 1960s heritage diesel locomotives to test the interest of our customers and during August, 2020, we may be able to allow passengers to join the train at Norden as well as more trains a day depending on the number of passengers we attract.
“Intermediate stations at Corfe Castle, Harman's Cross and Herston Halt will remain closed for the present because of the difficulty of reconciling the need to manage passenger numbers and train ticket bookings – made in advance online – while ensuring social distancing and the safety of our passengers and staff.
“We need to earn money to support our survival plan, and we believe that we can do so in full compliance with Government restrictions and health advice,” added Mr Johns.
In preparation for the new service, test trains will be operating on the Swanage Railway between Saturday, 4 July, and Friday, 10 July, 2020, inclusive.
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Hurray! I have booked time off work next month and I can now do something that I love, ie get steamy! It will be nice to relax after working through months of fear of catching the virus. Swanage here I come (again, like every summer since I was a little girl in sandles on Norden Station platform) 😁
The more I read these reports, the more I realise that these reopenings are not just a date, but subject to intense scrutiny. Now I know that they must be subject to a “good to go” inspection, it only makes me feel safer and more likely to start visiting these places to support them.