Steam Railway Mini Magazine

More documents

Recommendations

Info

STEAM NEWS B R E XIT SPECIAL MORE OR LESS? Brexit puts question mark over steam cash grants BRITAIN’S STEAM railways could be heading for tougher times after the unexpected Brexit vote on June 23. Senior figures in the industry have warned of major challenges ahead - but at the same time see a host of new opportunities. With so much policymaking still up in the air both at home and across the Channel, the UK’s preservation movement is anxiously examining the implications of the narrow referendum decision to leave the European Union, and calculating the likely effects on its finances. While Steam Railway must declare itself editorially neutral, the overall picture is one of uncertainty. Concerns over the removal of EU funding for new schemes and training were compounded by economic turbulence that could hit visitor numbers and increase BY BARRY Mc LOUGHLIN the cost of fuel and building materials. However, there were more positive indications that the weaker pound could encourage increasing numbers of Britons to holiday at home and attract more overseas visitors. Steam railways such as the Welsh Highland and Severn Valley have received millions of pounds from EU sources over the past 20 years. Brussels funding has helped some railways to pay for capital investment in new projects and to finance apprenticeships and other training schemes. The Heritage Railway Association has pledged it will be there for its members if they have to fill any funding gap caused by withdrawal from the EU. However, the HRA does not expect a significant I ADMIT I’M DISAPPOINTED, BUT WE MUST KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON… By BRIAN SIMPSON OBE, Chairman, Heritage Railway Association BREXIT BRICKBATS? change in the UK regulators’ interpretation of European directives, or in the ROGS 2006 Safety Regulations, which provide the regulatory regime for rail safety, including steam lines. HRA Chairman Brian Simpson, a former leading MEP who chaired the European Parliament’s transport and tourism The EU referendum is over and, to my great disappointment, the country has voted to leave. What effect this will have on steam railways is hard to judge. There is bound to be a great deal of uncertainty in the coming months and years. The decision will have a profound effect on our country. Steam railways will, of course, carry on doing what they do best, providing the experience of travelling by train in a bygone era, and competing with other tourist attractions for visitors and enthusiasts alike. The grants that some railways and tramways received from the EU will cease when we leave. In the long term there may be cost rises in all sorts of purchases, especially imports and fuel. Those cost increases may include copper and other non-ferrous metals - important to locomotive owners. Meanwhile, the relative weakness of sterling, while unhelpful to the UK economy at large, may provide a boost to inbound tourism (visits by railway enthusiasts and tourists from overseas), and may lead UK residents to look more to the UK for holidays and leisure breaks. The HRA will be working with its partners in Visit England/Britain, Visit Scotland and Croeso Cymru to maximise any short and long-term opportunities to build the role of steam railways in tourism, and to help members capitalise on that growth. My message to steam railway operators is to keep on giving excellent service to visitors. That’s what’s enabled our sector to grow and thrive, regardless of EU membership. Many people are upset by a perception that they are being taken out of the EU against their will. But what we need now is a time of reflection and calm for us all. The HRA has already begun the process of anticipating and analysing the impact of Brexit on every aspect of steam railway operation. It’s at times like this that support and guidance for members comes to the forefront of our work as an association. Where the issues are clear, we’ll explain. Where there are unknowns, we’ll be working to find the answers. z Loss of EU funding for developments and training. z Weaker pound means dearer imported coal. z Reduced spending power for leisure. z Construction costs up - building materials etc. z Economic downturn - less public money to fill EU funding gap. z Effect on pensions could hit key preservation demographic. BREXIT BRIGHT SPOTS? z Increase in ‘stay-cations’ and foreign tourists. z Cuts in ‘red tape’. committee, told Steam Railway: “The tourism industry in Britain is in for a difficult time. Money won’t be available where it might have been in the past. “If the money is no longer there, we have to plan to work without it. Steam railways must carry on doing what they are good at: providing an experience of a bygone era for thousands of visitors.” Much of the EU money for preservation schemes has come from the European Regional Development Fund, although the rapid expansion of the community has brought about a shrinkage in the eligible areas of the UK. An economic downturn could hit passenger numbers on preserved railways and main line railtours as visitors have less disposable income to spend on leisure. Rising car fuel costs could deter both visitors and volunteers. Older people could be under particular pressure if turbulent markets affect pensions, which is bad for steam lines because they are a key visitor group. The EU provides funds for small to mediumsized businesses for training in engineering and construction skills. Funding for apprenticeships and traineeships comes via the Skills Funding Agency, which is a co-financing organisation with the EU through the European Social Fund. The cost of materials and components for construction projects could rise because of the fall in the value of sterling. There are also fears that a weaker pound could push up the cost of coal imported from countries like Poland and Russia. However, UK steam lines increasingly use domestically produced coal. UNKNOWN IMPLICATIONS The HRA’s Mr Simpson told Steam Railway: “There’s great uncertainty at the moment. The markets are in turmoil and the currency is at a record low. That will make things we buy from abroad more expensive. “That will have an effect on the railways, but each railway can react differently. Some are in a position where they can perhaps withstand it; most are not. But a lowervalue pound means people will perhaps stay in the UK for their holidays and visit preserved railways.” Mr Simpson said money for EU-funded schemes such 8 Issue 456 July 15-August 11 2016 www.steamrailway.co.uk
The NRM’s £11m Locomotion museum at Shildon relied on the European Regional Development Fund for £2m - almost a fifth of the total cost. On January 16 2014, ‘A4’ No. 4464 Bittern gives brake van rides on the demonstration line. JOHN COOPER-SMITH as apprenticeships would obviously be withdrawn, as would EU grants for various railway projects. It was unclear whether there are alternative sources of money to fill the potential funding gap, he added. Railways would now have to find money from pots within the UK - which will have to meet ever-increasing demands. If the economy shrank as a result of Brexit, with further cuts in public spending, the steam movement would never be able to compete against the likes of the NHS and education. In a statement, the HRA said: “As subjects of regulation that originates at European levels, as sometimes beneficiaries of EU grant funding, and as key players in UK tourism, the UK’s steam railway operators have many questions arising from the referendum. As is the case for all businesses in the UK, it will take time for the answers to emerge. “The steam railway sector is better placed than many to survive the challenges ahead. Tourism will continue to be a major contributor to the UK economy. Steam railways attract more than 11 million visitors every year.” The HRA said it had the advantage of effective lobbyists in the All Party- Parliamentary Group on Heritage Railways. The association will pursue as much funding as possible from the UK government, to replace EU grants. The Severn Valley Railway has received more than £2 million from the EU, including grants after the 2007 floods and for the Highley Engine House ➛ Euro-cash winners UK lines that have received EU cash include: WELSH HIGHLAND RAILWAY The European Regional Development Fund provided a grant of £735,600 in 1996 for constructing the Caernarfon to Dinas section. For phase four of the project, from Rhyd Ddu to Porthmadog, funds totalling £5m were received under the European Union Objective 1 scheme and from the Welsh Assembly Government. NATIONAL RAILWAY MUSEUM The NRM’s £11m Shildon outstation, Locomotion, was opened in 2004 with the help of £2m funding from the ERDF and a £5m grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. SEVERN VALLEY RAILWAY After devastating floods in 2007, the final repair bill was put at about £3.7m. This was partly funded by an initial ERDF grant of £750,000, followed by a further grant of £377,000 from the fund. The Engine House at Highley in 2008 was made possible by £948,000 from the ERDF, plus the HLF and Advantage West Midlands. EAST LANCASHIRE RAILWAY Grant applications by the three local authority partners on the ELR Trust, Bury, Rochdale and Rossendale Councils, helped secure hundreds of thousands of pounds from the European Regional Development Fund. WEST SOMERSET RAILWAY As part of a wider development of the Mart Road area, the European Regional Development Fund helped finance the improvement of the locomotive shed at Minehead, including installation of the former Pwllheli turntable and public viewing area. LYNTON AND BARNSTAPLE RAILWAY The narrow gauge line, which is raising funds to extend its route more than four miles to Blackmoor Gate and Wistlandpound, received money from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development between 2007 and 2013. DOWNPATRICK AND CO. DOWN RAILWAY European funding as part of the DRAP (Down Rural Area Partnership) helped pay for the Downpatrick Loop Platform works, in which the full length of the platform was rebuilt, along with the installation of new fencing and track renewal. With the Cavan & Leitrim, Giant’s Causeway & Bushmills and Fintown Railways, it has also received money from the EU Interreg fund as part of the Cross-Border Heritage Railway Cluster project. www.facebook.com/SteamRailway July 15-August 11 2016 Issue 456 9
Page 1 and 2: IT’S A GIFT! NRM LOCO IN ‘STEAL
Page 3 and 4: Asked what needed doing to the ‘b
Page 5 and 6: LBSCR ‘E4’ 0-6-2T No. B473 recr
Page 7: 3 CHIEF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS rest 1
Page 11 and 12: BUTLIN’S A classic view showing N
Page 13 and 14: BUTLIN’S Eleventh hour rescue Roy
Page 15 and 16: BUTLIN’S No. 45543’s name, ulti
Page 17: ZZLE ‘County’ sees daylight at

Steam Railway Mini Magazine

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?