The Severn Valley Railway
The Severn Valley Railway is a full-size standard-gauge railway line, running regular, mainly steam-hauled, passenger trains between Kidderminster in Worcestershire and Bridgnorth in Shropshire, a distance of approximately sixteen miles.
A remarkable feature of the Railway is that it is very largely operated by unpaid volunteers, supported by employed staff who are responsible for administration and commercial activities, plus regular track and rolling stock maintenance.
Through the year, volunteers appear on the Railway to perform many tasks, including repairing and repainting stations, reconstruction of viaducts and bridges, and rebuilding locomotives and rolling stock, not to mention operating the trains!
The 'SVR Family'
SVR (Holdings) PLC
SVR (Holdings) PLC (Company number 01046274) is a Company with Shareholders (although no dividend is paid), with all profit used to support the running of the Railway. It owns the infrastructure and assets of the SVR, employs the paid staff and is responsible for the operation, finance, governance, planning, customer service and management of the SVR.
The Holdings Company has 12 Directors on its Board. This includes 3 representatives from the Guarantee Company. The Board meets once a month to discuss the strategic direction and monitor the performance of the Company. The General Manager attends and also the Accountant, who is also the Holdings Company Secretary. The current Directors are listed on the SVR (Holdings) Board page.
There are a number of committees that extend the functions of the Holdings Board, for instance the Audit Committee, the Safety Committee, and the Staffing Committee (which provides support for the Volunteer Liaison Department (VLO).
There are also some Directors tasked with championing management functions.
SVR Limited Company
SVR Limited Company (Company number 00906842) is a Company limited by Guarantee. It is supported by its membership, and provides the volunteer work force that assist in the operation of the railway. The Guarantee Company also fund volunteer based projects through its reserves.
The current Directors are listed on the SVR (Guarantee) Board page.
The Company also supports and enables communication from the working members of the SVR to the Holdings Board.
The Volunteer Liaison Office
The Volunteer Liaison Office (VLO) is responsible for the recruitment, placement and well-being of volunteers on the railway. Its office is at Bewdley. Website
Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust
The Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust was launched in 2012 to raise funds to assist in the preservation and operation of the railway.
You can find out more about the Trust on this page, and also from the Trust's own website.