An innovative partnership has been established between the Severn Valley Railway and Network Rail that will help maintain and improve both networks through sharing each other’s expertise, technology and facilities.

In a first-of-its-kind partnership, Network Rail’s Central route will offer its professional skills, advice, and redundant railway materials to the Severn Valley Railway to help keep it safe and operational.

In return, the Severn Valley Railway will provide Network Rail with the support, training, and facilities needed by its staff to operate and maintain traditional railway technology.

Many parts of Worcestershire and the West Midlands still use semaphore signalling and lever frame signal boxes to keep passenger and freight trains moving.

Network Rail will also be looking at how and when its state-of-the-art ultrasonic testing train, which monitors track and infrastructure conditions, could be used on the Severn Valley Railway.

It would be a step-change for a heritage railway to have access to this type of technology for monitoring its assets and identifying potential.

Denise Wetton, Network Rail’s Central route director, said: “This exciting partnership will make a real difference to the railway of the past and present. The railway has always played a vital role in communities and economies and the support we will give the Severn Valley Railway will help it remain a key attraction for the region.

“Access to their tracks and signalling to help train our staff on more traditional railway infrastructure, which is still in use on parts of our modern-day network, will help keep passengers and freight moving. Being able to do this when the SVR is closed to the public and trains aren’t running allows this learning to happen in a much safer environment and is something which is very difficult to do on the main network.

“It’s a perfect partnership and I am thrilled we have been able to make it happen.”

Gus Dunster, Severn Valley Railway’s managing director, said: “The SVR is very excited to be entering into a formal partnership with Network Rail, the first of its kind on any heritage railway.

“Operating and maintaining Victorian infrastructure is enormously costly, and it requires specialist skills and knowledge as well as equipment. Working closely with Network Rail will enable us to continue to safeguard the SVR’s infrastructure and help us to ensure our heritage line is in good shape and resilient for the future.

“The SVR is keen to strengthen its partnerships with a range of main-line companies, and this will form a cornerstone of that ambition. I am very grateful to Denise Wetton and her team for their energy and desire to make this partnership happen.”