The Severn Valley Railway has announced that it is to reintroduce overnight trains at the Autumn Steam Gala.

The gala is set to take place between the 14th and 17th September and will see one train operate multiple trips along the line on the Friday and Saturday nights

Overnight travel will be included in the ticket price, although passengers will need to have tickets for two consecutive days to cover the overnight travel.

The gala was originally planned as a three day event, but will now be a 4 day gala, with Thursday being a preview event.

“Overnight running at steam galas has long been something the SVR is renowned for,” explained managing director Jonathan ‘Gus’ Dunster. “We paused it for a few years because of the pandemic, but now the time is right to bring it back.

“We’ve already had two extremely successful enthusiast events this year, and it’s clear that this sector of the market is buoyant. This gives us the confidence to reintroduce overnight running and we’re sure it’s going to appeal to many of our Gala passengers.

“Why is it so popular? Well, quite simply a night-time railway in operation has a unique atmosphere, both on board the train and in the stations. Steam locomotives in particular add something indefinable to the mix. You don’t often get the opportunity to see a heritage railway operating under cover of darkness, and we know this will be a huge draw.”

“As to the line-up for the Gala,” added Gus, “We’re currently negotiating for three guest locomotives that we think are going to be magnets for the steam crowd, and we’ll be making announcements as soon as contracts are signed. We’re clearly demonstrating that the SVR is a railway that’s got enthusiasts’ interests at heart, and that our Autumn Steam Gala is going to deliver on all counts.”