'All aboard' – Severn Valley Railway to launch expanded timetable for September

The heritage attraction is extending its current offering to appeal to couples and solo travellers from both its Bridgnorth and Kidderminster stations. From September 1, these will run with morning departures on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.

Additionally on Fridays, there will be three diesel-hauled round trips starting from Kidderminster, featuring a different class of locomotive each week.

And on Saturdays – traditionally the most popular day for visitors – the railway will run two excursion trains from Kidderminster and one from Bridgnorth. This is in addition to a service departing from Kidderminster in the early evenings known as Sunset Special.

Passengers can either get off at Highley for a pre-booked meal at The Engine House, or choose to travel the full length of the line to Bridgnorth or Kidderminster.

Helen Smith, the railway’s general manager, said: "We’ve been delighted at the uptake of our full-day excursion services this month, and have received extremely positive feedback from our visitors, who’ve loved having their own private compartment for the whole day.

"Now we’re able to add in diesel-hauled services on Fridays, along with our steam-hauled Sunset Special service on Saturday evenings.

“We’re particularly excited about our new Saturday dining experiences at The Engine House, Highley, where we’ll be serving three-course meals celebrating local, seasonal produce. The evening will finish with a spectacular lantern-lit return to the station to rejoin the train back to Kidderminster.

“Passengers on our Explorer and Adventurer excursion trains will also be able to enjoy vintage afternoon teas at The Engine House. Both these and tables for the Saturday dining evenings must be pre-booked, and we’re expecting a high demand for the delicious, locally-sourced menus on offer.”