Commuting on a heritage train

Thursday 3rd September 2026

It’s an intriguing development. Commuters being encouraged to travel on a heritage railway. And that’s exactly what began in Worcestershire on Tuesday with the Severn Valley Railway (SVR) joining forces with the West Midlands Rail Executive and West Midlands Railway (WMR) for an eight week trial to test the feasibility of extending National Rail services from Birmingham and Kidderminster on to Bewdley on the Seven Valley Railway.

During the trial a heritage diesel or steam train will operate two journeys in both the morning (outbound) and afternoon (inbound) peak periods, taking commuters the three-and-a-half miles from Bewdley into Kidderminster where there’ll be connections with WMR services to and from Birmingham and return. Through tickets are available to Birmingham from Bewdley costing £16 (for an Anytime Return) representing a £3.60 add-on to the usual price from Kidderminster.

Morning departures from Bewdley for the 10 minute journey leave at 06:40 and 07:40 providing generous connections with WMR trains leaving Kidderminster at 07:08 and 08:08 arriving into Birmingham Snow Hill at 07:46 and 08:46 giving a journey time of just over an hour from Bewdley. Afternoon return journeys depart Snow Hill at 16:46 and 17:46 arriving Kidderminster at 17:25 and 18:25 where the SVR heritage train departs at 17:45 and 18:50 arriving into Bewdley at 17:57 and 19:02.

It’s said this arrangement of National Rail ticket holders making part of their journey on a heritage line using its locos and units and operated by its volunteer staff is unprecedented.

This trial aims to ‘test the market’ to see the potential for passengers making through journeys with the ultimate aim being to run West Midlands Railway trains from its station at Kidderminster to and from the Severn Valley Railway via the connecting track between the two lines just south of the station.

The idea of through trains has been kicked around for many years but intractable problems including trade union concerns at the involvement of volunteer staff (on the Severn Valley Railway) as well as compatibility of safety systems have so far proved intractable impediments.

The two evening WMR trains advertised in the trial both originate in Stratford-upon-Avon before passing through Birmingham (both Moor Street and Snow Hill) and currently terminate at Kidderminster.

The vision is those trains would continue as far as Bewdley but who knows, maybe longer term we could see Bridgnorth (the northern terminus of the SVR) back on the National Rail map.

I thought I’d try out the new service on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning to experience two ‘normal’ days in action guessing the very first inbound morning journeys on Tuesday would be untypical with important stakeholders, media and train enthusiasts adding to numbers travelling.

I’d heard you can buy through tickets to Bewdley from the National Rail system but unfortunately the ticket office in my local station, Hassocks, was unable to help but it could sell me a ticket from Kidderminster to Bewdley so I bought two singles, one for Tuesday afternoon and one for Wednesday morning at the bargain price of £1.30 each way with a Railcard.

All went well with the journey from Hassocks via London and Birmingham albeit I caught an earlier train into Kidderminster than I needed to have done but already waiting to return to Bewdley in the SVR heritage station, which is conveniently adjacent to the National Rail station, at least half an hour before departure were two or three commuters who’d travelled into Birmingham (as well as one to Worcester) in the morning.

They were all very positive about the new arrangements not minding the long connection time in Kidderminster.

The DMU Class 101 train soon rolled into the station for the 17:45 departure and all told 29 passengers travelled on it to Bewdley of whom I estimate around a third being genuine commuters, a third being SVR volunteers and a third enthusiasts.

When the train arrives into Bewdley it returns out of service to Kidderminster for the 18:50 departure which was not so well populated with only one genuine commuter and another SVR volunteer.

Wednesday morning saw me back in Bewdley to catch the first departure at 06:40 with the same DMU arriving in the platform at 06:30 ready for a prompt departure.

Nine passengers (all looking like genuine commuters/passengers rather than inquisitive people like myself) travelled, which was encouraging to see for only the second morning of a completely new service. As I understand also happened on Tuesday morning, two WMR Revenue Protection Officers were at the station as passengers arrived, and also travelled on the train, checking and selling tickets.

They told me they were able to sell through tickets to National Rail stations and their portable machines had been uniquely enabled to do so for the eight week trial.

On arrival in Kidderminster the nine passengers made their way over to the National Rail station and the train and staff returned to Bewdley for the 07:40 departure which I watched arrive at 07:50 with a very impressive 14 passengers – all genuine – alighting and heading over to the adjacent station.

It’s a lovely journey into Kidderminster with lots to see as well as enjoying the bonus of a forward or reverse view out of a DMU front or rear end driver’s cab.

The eight week trial is only operating on Tuesdays to Thursdays and, on a Wednesday afternoon, to fit in with SVR’s scheduled daytime running, the 17:45 and 18:50 journeys will be operated by a steam train making for a strange homecoming contrast for those commuters coming from Birmingham and taking advantage of these new arrangements.

I was initially sceptical on first hearing about this trial. A limited trial GWR tried in summer 2019 running trains between Taunton and Bishop Lydeard on the West Somerset Railway came to nothing and I had my doubts whether there’d be enough commuters in this trial to justify the additional cost of two Revenue Protection Officers selling tickets being tied up for a few hours as well as the costs involved in running the train, although of course for now it’s all being done by volunteers.

As I left the hotel in the centre of Bewdley at around 06:20 yesterday morning for the 10 minute walk to the SVR station it was interesting to see the 06:25 departure to Kidderminster on Diamond Bus route 125 waiting to depart. This would have got me into Kidderminster at 06:54 almost the same time as the SVR train albeit to the bus station, an inconvenient 15 minute walk from the railway station.

Route 125 runs hourly between Bridgnorth and Kidderminster on Mondays to Saturdays with an end to end journey time of 74 minutes compared to SVR’s 70 minutes on five return journeys on WThSSu at this time of year.

Having reflected on my travel experiences yesterday morning and Tuesday afternoon it’s very encouraging to see such a positive response so soon into the trial. Furthermore eight weeks will soon pass and to facilitate timely decisions for any continuation, modification or cessation, I would guess conclusions will have to be reached fairly early next month. I suspect the trial will be extended although that might prove challenging for SVR as its service is normally closed in November, much of December, as well as January and February.

For now though, well done to those involved for getting the trial ‘off the ground’ and on to the tracks after so many years of procrastination.

I’ll be interesting to see what comes next at the end of October.

Roger French

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