Swanage Railway: Coal prices and cost of living crisis cause squeeze

Swanage Railway has been running steam trains as a tourist attraction since the 1990s

A heritage railway line is being squeezed by rising coal prices and the cost of living crisis, its volunteers have warned.

Swanage Railway said a drop in coal supplies from Russia and Ukraine meant it was forced to increase fares.

The attraction is also recovering from the effects of falling visitor numbers during the pandemic.

As well as adding a fuel surcharge, the railway said it would diversify its retail and catering provision.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February effectively ended exports from two major coal suppliers, while the last UK dry-steam mine near Merthyl Tydfil, Wales, is set to close at the end of this year.

Coal prices paid by heritage rail lines have more than doubled to £355 per tonne.

Swanage Railway's train fireman, Martin Sheret, said: "When you think how much these engines use, its expensive - the future's uncertain."

With the cost of living crisis also biting, passenger numbers at the attraction - which injects on average £14m a year into the local economy - have been down by up to 20% this year.

Chairman Robert Patterson said: "Our public love steam trains - when we put a diesel train on, passenger figures go down. We are having to put a fuel surcharge on our fares of £1 to help balance the books.

"Our pollution is far outweighed by the 60,000 that are taken off the roads of Purbeck."

The original line from Swanage to Wareham was closed by British Rail in 1972.

Volunteers rebuilt the 5.5-mile (8.8km) stretch from Swanage to Norden over three decades and have been running it as a tourist attraction since the 1990s

In 2017, it reconnected with the mainline and the first timetabled passenger service ran along the full 10-mile line for the first time in 45 years. The railway had been working to make the trials a regular service.

The railway launched an emergency appeal in 2020 to help it survive when passenger numbers slumped during the Covid-19 pandemic.