Impending resumption of suspended 'Hogwarts Express' Jacobite steam service signalled by train move

West Coast Railways (WCR) has logged plans to move a train from its base at Carnforth in Lancashire to Fort William early on Saturday, which is seen as an indication that the operator is preparing to resume excursions on the line to Mallaig.

It appears to mark a U-turn by the company which had suggested it would keep Jacobite services on hold until a decision was made by the rail regulator in a long-running safety dispute, which may not come until as late as July.

WCR has applied to the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to use carriages without central door locking in return for agreeing a timescale for its installation.

The firm had previously said it was too costly to run the service again like last year using a combination of carriages with central locking and others without it, whose doors were locked shut.

The apparent development comes days after The Scotsman reported that dozens of fans a day are still flocking to the Glenfinnan Viaduct on the Jacobite’s route in the hope of seeing the steam train crossing.

The move, if confirmed, is likely to be welcomed by local businesses, such as in Mallaig, which have been hit hard by the suspension of the daily service since its normal start around Easter.

The ORR said the company could run compliant carriages on the service pending its decision and that would not affect its consideration of the application for temporary exemption of the door locking regulations, which have been in force for 27 years.

An ORR spokesperson said: “We have not issued any exemption to the relevant requirements of the Railway Safety Regulations 1999 in relation to this matter.

“Work remains to establish the feasibility, detail, and delivery timeline of the proposed approach.

“The ORR has not prohibited WCR from operating the service and it remains able to run services with carriages which meet the legal requirements for use on the main line.”

WCR has been approached for comment.