The operator of the “Hogwarts Express” steam train has merged with a rival company to try and sustain itself following a crackdown on traditional railway carriage safety regulations, which it argues has threatened the future of heritage services.
West Coast Railways, the biggest operator of specialised historic steam and classic diesel trains on the UK network, has taken on a large fleet owned by Riviera Trains, with carriages that are compliant with rules on door locks.
The operator has been in a back-and-forth with the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), which has demanded that heritage trains such as the Jacobite service used for “Hogwarts Express” tourist trips, be fitted with a central locking system of carriage doors.
The safety watchdog has told heritage operators, including West Coast, that they should introduce central-locking carriages after it banned doors with locks that could be operated by passengers on the train in 2005. However, heritage companies have been able to apply for exemptions from the ORR throughout the years.
The heritage Jacobite service, made famous for its appearance in the Harry Potter films, includes 1950s-era Mark 1 coaches, which consist of traditional hinged doors without a central-locking system.
Services for train enthusiasts and Harry Potter fans on the Jacobite run between Mallaig and Fort William across the Glenfinnan Viaduct in the Scottish Highlands, yet West Coast had a delayed start to their summer season this year due to a crackdown on regulations surrounding the doors – something they said had not only affected them, but over 100,000 tourist passengers and local buinsesses in the area.
The ORR argues that these types of coaches have a poor safety record, are likely to suffer far more damage in a collision, and have been connected to many fatalities and injuries in the past.
Yet West Coast says that they are made safe by having two locks on the door, one of which is a deadbolt, and a steward present in each carriage.
West Coast Railways has now reached a compromise by purchasing 60 Mark 2 coaches from Riviera, which will be transferred to their ownership from 30 September.
The blue and grey coaches include central door locking systems that will comply with ORR standards. However, there is concern that these trains will offer as much historical charm as the…
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