WEST Somerset Railway is "determined" to ensure trains can run to Minehead next month, despite Storm Eunice damaging three new barriers at the Seaward Way level crossing.
Passenger trains are due to start running on the line to Minehead for the first time in two years on March 19, when West Somerset Railway (WSR)'s 2022 timetable starts.
Railway staff members and volunteers were called out to the level crossing during Storm Eunice to assess the damage to three out of the four barriers there.
Discussions are now underway between WSR, the contractors who installed the new equipment last year, and Somerset County Council about repairing the barriers.
The council allocated around £1.2 million in funding for the level crossing to be rebuilt last year, allowing training and maintenance trains travel to Minehead station for the first time since 2019.
The crossing was rebuilt after it reached the end of its serviceable life and no longer met the requirements for the number of vehicles using it.
Frank Courtney, the line’s communication manager, said the barriers installed at Seaward Way are standard across the national railway network and would not be expected to have failed in the way they did.
During the storm, a large tree fell across the tracks at Crowcombe Heathfield station, dislodging a large platform name board, but the debris was quickly cleared.
Other damage caused to the railway by Storm Eunice was limited.
SWR company chairman Jonathan Jones-Pratt said: “I would like to thank everyone who has been out working to keep the railway safe and to minimise damage through this extremely difficult weather.
“We are all determined to ensure that the railway will open through to Minehead on March 19, and I am sure with the dedicated team we have, that this will be achieved.”
At present, WSR does not have an indication of how much it will cost to repair the barriers or how the bill will be divided.
A council spokesperson said: "Somerset County Council is aware of the damage that has been caused by very high winds over the last few days to the level crossing barriers on Seaward Way, Minehead.
"We are in dialogue with the West Somerset Railway Company as to the way forward regarding this."
Across Somerset, the county council's highways team has attended 258 fallen tree-related incidents since Storm Eunice swept across the county on Friday morning.
This year, West Somerset Railway is set to bring a restored GWR-designed Pannier Tank No. 9466 locomotive to the line to pull passenger trains.
The decision to introduce the new locomotive followed detailed investigations into the load-carrying capabilities of the track and bridges.
The investigations will help the WSR board consider other guest and long-term resident locomotives using the same weight safety checks, meaning rail enthusiasts could soon see more locomotives on the railway than in recent years.
Read more: West Somerset Railway returning with a year of trains services
Read more: Volunteers raise £20,000 for Stogumber station on West Somerset Railway
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