Gloucestershire and Warwickshire steam railway reopens

The line runs through the Cotswolds

A heritage steam railway which struggled to recover from the pandemic has reopened after a winter of engineering works.

The Gloucestershire and Warwickshire steam railway saw a 77% drop in passenger numbers when it was forced to close during the Covid restrictions.

It survived by using financial reserves and with Government funding.

Passengers are now being welcomed back to the 14 mile (22.5km) trip through the Cotswolds.

During the winter break the fleet of heritage locomotives and carriages have undergone maintenance and repairs to get them back on track for the 2022 season.

The GWSR carried fewer than 29,000 passengers in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic - compared to the 125,000 it welcomed during 2019.

The volunteer-led railway, which runs between Cheltenham Racecourse and Broadway, responded to the lost revenue by dipping into financial reserves and also received government funding of up to £318,000.

It managed to run its first post-lockdown service last August.