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Changes
Wider reopening from 7 September
*February 2021: The railway announced it planned to restart its public services with regular excursion services from 12 April and other facilities opening when permitted, with previous COVID-19 safe measures continuing.
*In March 2021 the SVR's bid for a second Culture Recovery Grant failed.
*2021 events restarted, but with restricted numbers and fixed bookable itineraries. Although legal restrictions were raised from July, the SVR continued previous arrangements including for its Autumn galas and [[Christmas services]]. *Local 'hop on hop off' services were announced on 12 August, initially to restart midweek only in place of excursion trains from 7 September.<ref name=blaug21>[https://www.svrlive.com/blaug21 Branch Lines, August 2021]</ref>This soon changed with the announcement on 17 August that from 7 September all regular services and the Autumn Galas would revert to a more traditional operation, either with full-day freedom-of-the-line tickets or on journeys between selected stations with passengers able to choose their itineraries, rather than travelling on designated trains. The Railway would, however, continue to offer a small number of private bookable compartments, where passengers are guaranteed exclusive use of a compartment on a single train, throughout the day.
==Effects on the SVR==
With the intervention rate for furlough payments dropping from 1 August 2020 the SVR made up to 40 roles redundant among salaried and zero hours staff who were unable to return to their previous roles, and for whom the Railway was unable to find alternative employment.<ref name="blaug20"/>
In mitigation, it successfully applied to HSBC for a £1.5 million loan under the CBILS scheme, which alongside its existing overdraft facility would mean £2.5 million available. The SVR Charitable Trust won a [[:Category:Lottery funding|National Lottery Heritage Fund]] grant to support the reopening of the Railway.<ref name="blaug20">[https://www.svrlive.com/blaug20 Branch Lines, August 2020]</ref> Wyre Forest District Council awarded the Railway £50,000 under its discretionary business grant scheme. It later received £555,484 in furlough payments during 2020 and was awarded £906,000 from the Culture Recovery Fund and £555,484 in furlough payments during 2020.<ref name="report20"/>
2020 [[SVR Passenger numbers|passenger numbers]] dropped significantly from 239,723 to 59.950. Sales income reduced by £5.25m and, even after donations and grants, it lost £460,559 in that financial year. Its debt was nearly £2,000,000.<ref name=report20>SVR(H) annual report and financial statements for the period ended 3 January 2021</ref>
In 2021 its February half-term, Easter and services to early April were all lost, with restricted passenger numbers thereafter, and later reopenings for its museums and pubs. It had restricted passenger numbers until 7 September.
Repayment of the CBILS loan is due to start in October 2021 at £28,000 per month<ref name="report20"/>.
==See also==
[[Severn Valley Railway Timeline 2020-2029]]
==References==
<references />
