GWR - Gloucestershire's mainline heritage railway - Ticket sales to end of June: Good news and bad news

Ticket sales to end of June: Good news and bad news

posted on: 08 July 2010
updated on: 08 July 2010
article by: Ian Crowder

Malcolm Temple, chairman of GWSR Plc, is concerned about the effects of the landslip on revenue: “If it weren’t for the landslip … we would be 20 per cent up year-on-year right now”

Compared with June last year, ticket sales on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway are, year-to-date, 13.6 per cent ahead of the same time last year. Over 31,600 tickets have been sold, compared with nearly 28,000 in 2009.

However, these figures aren't quite all they seem.

Pleasingly, ticket sales for events such as the spring Diesel Gala (780); Thomas and Friends (2,767) and the magnificent celebration of the 175th anniversary of the Great Western Railway (11,136), far exceeded those sold for the equivalent events last year.

But Colin Dymock, head station master, says that since the landslip severed the southern end of the line in April, the underlying trend has dramatically fallen.

"We have seen ordinary timetabled day ticket sales slump by around 25 per cent - almost exactly the proportion of tickets normally sold through Cheltenham Racecourse station booking office. While the country's economic situation might also be contributing to a slow-down, the difference has been particularly marked since April when the landslip stopped trains running south of Gotherington.

"In addition, while coach party visits are up on last year, particularly for midweek services, we have lost single-trip coach traffic. Some tour operators used to add to the enjoyment of a day out by dropping their passengers off at either Cheltenham or Toddington for a one-way ride, picking them up at the other end before continuing on to their destination. That isn't possible now because Gotherington is unsuitable for coach transfers so some operators have passed us by as a result."

Malcolm Temple, chairman of GWSR Plc, says this underlines the importance of repairing the slip as soon as possible but warns that there isn't a quick fix.

"Our events this year have been tremendously successful thanks to the hard work put in by our volunteer staff but the fall-off in the number of ordinary visitors since the landslip is a real concern. I believe that were it not for the landslip we would be celebrating an increase of at least 20 per cent year-on-year right now.

"The absence of Cheltenham Racecourse station means that we have lost significant revenue during what was shaping up to be an exceptional year for the railway. Meanwhile, the cost of running trains has gone up, because of the need to 'top-and-tail' services to Gotherington.

"I also appreciate that we are once again difficult to reach by public transport; and I am very sorry that some potential visitors have travelled as far as Cheltenham to find they can't easily get to the operating section of the railway.

"Repairing the slip will be very costly for the railway because insurance will meet less than half the total expected cost. As I have said before, the significant civil engineering works involved will take time. We will shortly launch a major fund-raising appeal but you can make donations now, online or by post - or by buying additional shares in the company. We hope soon to be able to offer the facility to buy shares online also.

"Meanwhile, we are still very much in business. Our trains continue to run between Toddington and Gotherington, departing from Toddington at the times published in the printed timetable. We still offer a really great day out: and we are still longer than most heritage railways in the UK."

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5 comments for “Ticket sales to end of June: Good news and bad news”

Keith Mcpherson esq

Posted 11 July 2010 at 23:08:31

Hello, it is good to see that ticket sales are up, but the loss of the racecourse station was always going to hit hard considering the lengthy amount of time it is taking to repair it.As a regular visitor to the railway and a daily visitor to the racecourse station(Dog walking)I regularly inform people the station is closed despite the sign.I know a couple of civil engineers and discussing the land slip they too are puzzled why it is taking such a long time to repair. They, like me think it is more a lot about money not civil engineers time to repair. Please Mr.Temple are you informing us of all the facts.There is a whisper that Bovis homes are looking at some of the land as it is not being used.
Malcolm Temple

Posted 23 July 2010 at 19:45:26

There has been no contact whatsoever with Bovis Homes and no question of the railway selling land we need for present or future operational use

The time delay on the works has been due to the complexity of first ascertaining the reasons for the slip and then designing a viable, cost effective solution. This is common business sense

What do you think I'm not telling you?

Malcolm Temple
richard oliver

Posted 25 July 2010 at 21:57:40

why not run over the viaduct instead of the tunnel twice to me more exciting as i was not bothered about the tunnel much as you can not see much!The cafe on the trains or flag and whistle need to open earlier to generate money this is not rocket science and more trains running simples!The cost of a ticket was fine and i enjoyed the shop if i lived near by i would park my traveller outside on loan!Great place just needs to be used in the right way!
Keith Mcpherson esq.

Posted 12 August 2010 at 20:34:10

Dear Mr.Temple Firstly I would like to say sorry about some of the content on my original post. It is upsetting for me and many others to see the railway as it is now, I noticed the Gotherington siding track taken up and parked at Cheltenham racecourse, hopefully things are on the move to a speedy repair. In Railway magazine an article says that repair costs are over £1 million pounds, one question I do have, is that there is statements in rail magazines that Network Rail still have some say and right in the old Honeybourne line.Is this true, we all know that they are looking to run main line trains in future over the track length and extend to the original link to Birmingham. best regards.
Darren Fairley - Property Director

Posted 18 August 2010 at 09:44:12

Dear Mr.Mcpherson, if I can update on a few issues that you raise. I share everyones concern over getting back to Cheltenham asap and we are working towards that aim.

However all is not as may seem, the track at Cheltenham is actually positive, its not from Gotherington, but is a number of the wagons from the tunnel area that have stored trackwork on them. They were extracted and some of the track materials removed for use elsewhere.

With respects to railway magazines and press, please be cautious with what is read, this website is the best update area for GWR news.

The Magazines of late have even been quoting me personally and by name as if they have spoken to me, yet what they have done is lifted text fom this site or other interviews and badly re-pasted them to look like they have conducted an interview....worse they have misquoted and pulled things out of context. (pretty normal from my experience to date)

In a similar vein, we had to run a correcting news item several months ago to correct what was widely published in error and also appeared in the local Echo about Network Rail wanting to rip up our line and re-instate a full blown express freight service over the Honeybourne route - the paper even said the trackbed was derelict and disused.

The newspaper was looking at an aspirtation at the back end of the massive (600 pages and more) of NR's Route Utilisation Strategy document (RUS). It was the small section that looks into the very long term and completely un funded future - where anyone can register their aspirations for consideration up to 2031.

In the huge document one sentance stated the aspiration of an idividual to put forward the option to reinstate the GWR track with the National Network for freight diversions. However NR do not have any such desire at present.......I was actually party to the RUS being put together in my day job on NR and that is not what was implied and as stated before something that was 'put in the hat' by a member of public for consideration if required.

Indeed as further confirmation NR does not own our trackbed - GWR has total control and ownership from the Cheltenham end between South of Hunting Butts tunnel by the sports ground right out to the outer limits of Broadway just short of the By-pass at the Northern End.

Correctly stated in some news items and recorded on this website and GWR AGM's, we have been able to negotiate passive provision for GWR to run into the island platform at Honeybourne in the future, and this is being considered in the new layout being put down by NR and commencing soon as part of the remodelling at Honeybourne. Realising that goal is a long way away and we do not currently have access to, or own the trackbed between Broadway and the NR Border at Honeybourne, but we are in contact with and actively discussing how we do realise that goal with the current owners.

The slip is a challenge as are all the other facts and quotes that find themselves into the wider arena, but where we spot them or become aware of them we will put them right on this website.....

I hope this assures all that we are seeking a positive and long future for GWR.