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Add introduction to history. Use SVR(A) for consistency with elsewhere
==Organisation==
The present day Severn Valley Railway (SVR) is made up of three companies:<ref>SVR website</ref>
*Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) PLC, “SVR(H)”, is the public company that owns the railway’s infrastructure. SVR shareholders own shares in this company.
*The Severn Valley Railway Company Ltd, “the Guarantee Company”, is the SVR’s membership arm and provides the staff (mainly volunteers) to operate the railway. The Guarantee Company owns approximately 25% of SVR(H). The SVR has around 13,000 members, who are automatically members of this company (all volunteers must be members).
*Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust Ltd, “the Charitable Trust”, raises funds to support the SVR. The ongoing objective is to raise funds for the long-term preservation of rolling stock belonging to the trust, while other recent initiatives have included funding for the SVR’s Heritage Skills Training Academy, and arranging Heritage Lottery support for the restoration of 4930 Hagley Hall and for the SVR Future Fund Endowment.<ref>SVR Charitable Trust website</ref>
The Severn Valley Railway Association, “SVRA” “SVR(A)” is run by working volunteers with the objective of providing support to the SVR membership, and particularly the working volunteers. It is currently proposed to merge the activities of the Guarantee Company and the SVRASVR(A).<ref>SVRA SVR(A) website</ref>
==History==
Services on the SVR began progressively as follows:<br>
*'''May 1970''': Bridgnorth to Hampton Loade. This section had been closed by BR in 1963.
*'''May 1974''': Hampton Loade to Bewdley (services as far as Highley began a month earlier). BR’s use of Bewdley Station ended in 1970 when onward services ceased; use of the line ended a year earlier when Alveley Colliery closed.
*'''July 1984''': Bewdley to Kidderminster. Use of ‘The Link’ for commercial traffic from Foley Park to Kidderminster had ended in 1982. BR would continue to use the existing station at Kidderminster as part of the Birmingham Snow Hill to Worcester line. As it was not feasible to share this station, the SVR built their own adjacent station, Kidderminster Town.
Follow the links below to see a timeline of the SVR in preservation.<br><br>
[[Severn Valley Railway Timeline 1965-1969 | 1965-1969]] The Severn Valley Railway Company is formed and the first locomotives arrive.<br>
