FUNDS to complete the work on Broadway station have passed the £1million milestone as the rail line edges closer to its final destination.
The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway’s ‘Broadway: The Last Mile’ share offer, recently reached the seven figure sum, thanks to a generous donation from steam rail enthusiast Phillip Bowden.
Just £250,000 is now needed to complete the work on the village station and line extension before the end of April, when the share offer closes.
The track, which will offer a 30-mile round trip between Cheltenham and Broadway when completed, has already crossed the county boundary into Worcestershire and is within sight of the station.
If the funding is reached, the new station would open on March 30, 2018, bringing trains back to Broadway for the first time since 1960.
Work on the extension from the railhead at Laverton has involved refurbishing five bridges, as well as repairing culverts, putting in new drainage and remedying slipped earthworks in some places.
Mr Bowden said: “I remember steam as a child and have always been attracted to it. The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway is a very different operation now. Particularly impressive is the enthusiasm and commitment of the staff and the fact that so many volunteers give up their time and energy to it.
“The organisation of the railway and all it entails is exceptional. I’m delighted to be able to contribute towards the ambitious and exciting extension to Broadway with all the benefits it’ll bring.”
Chris Bristow, the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway’s volunteer finance director, said: “This is such an important milestone and of huge encouragement to the many volunteers involved with building Broadway station, as well as extending the line northwards to this delightful Cotswold town.
“The rate that money has been coming in means that we can, with confidence, say the extension will open to the public on March 30, 2018.
“I’m deeply grateful to the many hundreds of people who have invested sums large and small. Above all, investors enjoy the satisfaction of playing a vital part in restoring a much-loved railway, plus the opportunity to have a say in how it is run.”
Visit www.gwsr.com for more information about the project.
