The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway has appointed Professor John Dora CEng FICE as its new Chairman.

Professor Dora is 65, married, and lives in Charlbury, Oxfordshire. He has considerable experience in railway civil engineering and management, and is an acknowledged expert in the resilience of infrastructure to climate change, a Visiting Professor at the University of Surrey and a Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor at the University of Birmingham.

His experience in climate change includes being the technical adviser to the joint Network Rail and Rail Safety Standards Board programme on climate risks (TRaCCA) and convenor of the team responsible for setting climate change adaptation standards by the International Standards Organisation.

The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway’s chairmanship had been vacant since Richard Johnson, the previous Chairman, resigned last year due to ill health. In the interim, Finance Director Richard Winstanley was acting chairman.

Professor Dora was co-opted onto the railway’s board last Tuesday, 18th March, and his voluntary appointment started immediately. No doubt he will be looking to a successful 2025 operating season, exemplified by last year’s festive season when all 48 Santa Specials planned sold out.

Finance Director Richard Winstanley commented that John is a very welcome addition to the Plc Board. He believes his wealth of experience will mark a significant step in developing the future potential of the railway with his blend of both strategic vision and practical experience. They fit well with the challenges the railway faces as a tourist attraction and to preserve its heritage as one of the UK’s leading preserved railways.

“I am thrilled to be taking on this role at a time when the country is celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the birth of the passenger railway network. As a shareholder, I have long admired the way that the GWSR has developed to become one of the leading attractions in the Cotswolds, as well as dealing with significant infrastructure issues such as landslips and restoration of Stanway Viaduct. Indeed, I have assisted in a practical way in the past, laying out the track alignment in Dixton Cutting as the railway extended southwards. I have experience with other heritage railways too, for example, I am a past Chairman of the Somerset & Dorset Railway. I’m looking forward to meeting volunteers across the railway and helping to steer the railway into the future.”

John Dora