The Severn Valley Railway (SVR) in the West Midlands has confirmed that it will proceed with ‘One Railway’, the organisational restructure that it announced in December 2024.

The Railway has carried out a consultation with shareholders of the two companies involved, including face-to-face and online meetings.

The two organisations are the train operating company, Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) Plc, and the Severn Valley Railway Company Limited, which deals with membership and volunteers.

SVR says that the response to the consultation was overwhelmingly positive.

It answered detailed queries from shareholders and members about the planned changes.

The proposed restructure will involve converting Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) Plc into a Charitable Community Benefit Society (CCBS), after which it will amalgamate with the Severn Valley Railway Company Limited.

A third organisation, the SVR Charitable Trust, supports the plan and may be involved in the future.

The Railway believes that conversion to a CCBS will bring significant benefits.

These will include access to new sources of funding and opportunities to save costs. It wants to progress the plans quickly, as it believes that this will strengthen the railway’s financial position. It sees this as particularly important given the current uncertain economic climate.

The next step in the process is the Annual General Meeting of SVR(H) in June.

At the AGM, shareholders will vote on the conversion to a CCBS.

After this, members will vote on the proposal to amalgamate with the new body at the SVR Company Limited’s AGM, which will take place in August.

In the meantime, the Severn Valley railway continues its preparation for its Spring Steam Gala over the Easter weekend.

“This is an ambitious timescale. And there are challenges. However, it is the clear route to take, so we can unlock the benefits as soon as possible. We have instructed and briefed Bates Wells, the specialist law firm helping us on this project, and are working through their due diligence questions.

“We hope to be able to action the changes by the autumn, with the aim of completing these by the end of 2025.”

Jonathan ‘Gus’ Dunster, managing director of SVR (Holdings)