Telford Steam Railway plan likely to be shelved

Ambitious plans to improve and extend Telford Steam Railway look likely to be shelved after it was fined £5,000 following an accident, its chairman Paul Hughes revealed today.

Volunteers had hoped to extend the attraction in Horsehay out to Lawley Common.

But Mr Hughes, whose legs were broken when he was crushed by a piece of track while volunteers were working on the line last year, said today the fall-out from that accident meant the extension was now unlikely to happen soon.

He made his comments after a solicitor for the charity yesterday made guilty pleas on its behalf at Telford Magistrates' Court to one charge of failing to implement measures in a risk assessment relating to the incident.

The prosecution was brought by the Office of Rail Regulation and magistrates fined volunteers £5,000 and ordered them to pay £3,000 costs and a £15 government victim surcharge.

Mr Hughes vowed the future of the attraction, which normally draws in thousands each year, was not under immediate threat.

But he said he was 'disappointed' the prosecution for health and safety failings had been brought to court at all – and said the decision by magistrates would delay plans to extend the line.

Speaking after the hearing, Mr Hughes, 40, said: "It is disappointing. We have never hidden from the fact we have got it wrong, but for a voluntary-run charity that is hard to take."

He added: "That means the money we have earmarked for spending to improve the railway will now have to go towards that.

"I just think the whole thing is almost counter-productive. It is the Office of Rail Regulation that has pushed the prosecution, even though we pleaded with them not to.

"We have already altered our operating practices and we have spent thousands bringing in an independent health and safety expert to look at everything from top to bottom."

See also:

• Telford Steam Railway to open after accident

• Telford steam railway chairman’s legs crushed in accident