Leaders of the heritage rail sector have held two meetings with Ministers from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to canvass vital support in their fight to secure the long-term future of heritage railways.

On Tuesday, 28th June, leaders from the heritage rail sector met Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay, in Westminster. the meeting, instigated by the President of the Heritage Railway Association (HRA), Lord Faulkner of Worcester, was the direct result of a debate in the House of Lords that the end of UK mining and the war in Ukraine would cause a perilous state in the supply of steam coal to the heritage sector.

The meeting was also attended by HRA Chief Executive Steve Oates, James Hervey-Bathurst, Chairman of the Heritage Fuels Alliance, and the secretary of the Heritage Rail all-party parliamentary group (APPG), Chris Austin. They emphasised to Lord Parkinson the substantial economic and tourism benefits delivered by heritage steam.

The following day, the Co-chair of the Heritage Rail APPG, Rt. Hon Liz Saville-Roberts MP. joined Lord Faulkner in a meeting with DCMS Minister, Nigel Huddleston MP. The DCMS is responsible for the planned 200th-anniversary celebrations of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 2025.

Prominent in these celebrations will be the part played by steam power in the development of Britain’s railways. The Minister indicated that funding sources may be available to aid research and development into longer-term alternatives to coal for locomotives.

A meeting is now to be arranged between DCMS and the other departments with an interest in the supply of coal to the heritage steam sector – the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The Heritage Railway Association is also set to arrange a number of visits to heritage railways in the next few months to allow Lord Parkinson to learn more about the sector and its challenges.

President of the Heritage Railway Association, Lord Faulkner, said: “The solution to the need to establish long-term, reliable supply of fuel for steam locomotives is not going be found quickly. But these meetings are yet further evidence that progress is being made, and I am encouraged by the positive responses of both DCMS ministers we met.

“It’s clear that they understand the importance of heritage rail to the cultural and economic prosperity of the country – and how vital the supply of steam locomotive fuel is to that.”

Liz Saville Roberts, Co-chair of the All-Party Group said: “The future of heritage railways is vital, particularly in constituencies like mine in Dwyfor Meirionydd where the Great Little Trains of Wales are a mainstay of the economy. We have worked hard to bring those involved together to look at alternative supplies and alternatives to coal to keep the trains running.”

HRA Chief Executive, Steve Oates, added: “These meetings represent solid progress, but they’re also important incremental steps to achieving what the heritage railway sector needs – stability and long-term security of steam locomotive operation for generations to come.

“In the immediate future, we need governments to look sensibly at the controlled extraction of high-quality UK steam coal specifically for responsible, low-volume users like heritage rail as the most sustainable and environmentally conscious solution available right now.”