Express & Star

Severn Valley Railway bosses explain reason for cancelled Santa trains

Festive trains on a popular West Midlands heritage railway are back on track after a "points issue" that led to the cancellation of some 'Santa Services' was resolved.

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The Severn Valley Railway had to cancel Santa Services at short notice over the weekend

Families looking forward to a festive treat on Sunday were let down by short notice cancellations at Severn Valley Railway.

Severn Valley Railway bosses took to Twitter to explain the weekend's problems, blaming a points failure.

They tweeted: "We are very grateful for everyone’s understanding at what has been an extremely difficult time, and look forward to seeing you soon!

"We’re in the process of contacting passengers whose services were cancelled on Sunday, to offer an alternative date to travel, or a voucher/refund."

They added: "Please bear with us whilst we contact you, if you do need to contact us please can you e-mail us in the first instance.

"Our permanent way staff have been working hard to fix the serious points issue that meant we had to cancel two Santa Trains on Sunday – and we’re delighted to say all is now well!"

Railway bosses confirmed the Santa trains are back on track.

Festive friends on Santa Train at Severn Valley Railway, Bridgnorth

They tweeted: "This means that all Santa Services can go ahead from Tuesday December 20 to Saturday 24."

Ticketholders were told on Saturday evening their trains would not be departing on Sunday.

A statement said: "For unavoidable operational reasons, we’ve had to cancel two of our Santa Trains.

"We’re contacting all passengers on these services by email and offering a choice of alternatives. If you’re affected by this, please wait for us to contact you. We promise we’ll sort out something that works for you."

Saturday night's First Class Festive Evening Dining service was also cancelled.