Mark Garnier MP congratulates the Severn Valley Railway (SVR) on their outstanding entry to the Department of Transport Innovation Competition, winning £75,000 of Government funding to increase access for disabled passengers. Every year 10 million people visit a heritage railway, and it has been estimated that heritage railways are worth about £250 million to the UK economy. In this valuable industry, it is vital that community railways innovate their offering in order to prosper into the future. As a champion of heritage railways, Mark has been a staunch supporter of the Severn Valley Railway for many years, and recently attended the opening of its new Diesel depot on 20th May.
In 2015, the Prime Minister announced that £1 million would be made available for a rail for tourism innovation competition, funded by the Department for Transport. As Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Heritage Rail, Mark Garnier led a panel of judges at a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style pitching event held at the Department of Transport to decide the final winners of the competition on Tuesday 10th May. Each Heritage Railway applicant presented a ten minute pitch, and answered five minutes of questions by the judges.
The competitors’ ideas ranged from improving stations and ticketing, expanding disabled access or cycle facilities, introducing new services or rolling stock, to trialling new approaches to attracting tourists. The competition procured real innovation, and all the entries were of an excellent standard.
The Severn Valley Railway proposed a transformation of its disabled facilities to enable disabled passengers to travel on all trains, to enjoy on-train dining, and to gain access to all the attractions along the rural railway line.
Mark commented “I was delighted to lead the judging panel and the competition was high. As I had a declared local interest I abstained from the vote on SVR but I am so pleased that they received this crucial funding. Successful projects increase patronage, increase customer satisfaction, improve access by public transport, and benefit local economies outside London. Locally, the money won by our own Severn Valley Railway will help to grow their business, and ensure that more people than ever can access their fantastic services.”