Severn Valley Railway shares go on sale to the public
Shares in the Severn Valley Railway went on sale today to pay for a new visitor centre in Shropshire.
It is hoped the three million shares, priced at £1 each, will fund the new centre, station gateway and spectator gallery at Bridgnorth Station and create a heritage engineering and building training academy.
Officials at the attraction said people would be able to buy shares, at a minimum investment of £100 each, from today.
General manager Nick Ralls said shareholders would be given discounts and a say in the running of the railway.
Shareholders will also receive complimentary tickets and travel privileges, and exclusive incentives, depending on the number of shares bought.
A spokesman for the SVR said: "To mark the 150th anniversary of the line, Severn Valley Railway is launching a share issue which will give anyone with a keen interest in the railway the opportunity to own part of a growing national treasure."
Further ideas to spend the projected £3 million include restoring the Hagley Hall locomotive – which has not worked for more than 23 years – and carrying out further maintenance to the line and its infrastructure to preserve it for decades to come.
John Hurst-Knight, Shropshire councillor for Bridgnorth West and Tasley, said the selling of shares was good news for Severn Valley Railway and the town of Bridgnorth.
Councilor Hurst-Knight said: "The Severn Valley Railway brings in a lot of tourists to Bridgnorth, especially during holiday periods and weekends, and the town depends on that.
"If we lost that tourist attraction it would be very bad for the town.
"I know we at Shirehall are very keen to do whatever we can to help out the Severn Valley Railway."
An official launch of the scheme will be held on October 13 and 14 at a members' and shareholders' weekend.
The 16-mile railway runs from Bridgnorth to Kidderminster and carries about 250,000 passengers a year.
The line closed to through passenger and freight traffic in 1963 as part of Dr Beeching's cuts, but reopened in 1970 from Bridgnorth to Hampton Loade, extending to Bewdley in 1974 and Kidderminster in 1984.
