THE SEVERN Valley Railway has confirmed its intention to progress with ‘One Railway’, the radical organisational restructure it announced in December 2024.
This follows intensive consultations with shareholders Severn Valley Railways (Holdings) Plc and members of the SVR Company Limited.
The restructure will see the conversion of SVRH into a Charitable Community Benefit Society (CCBS), followed by an amalgamation with the separate Company Limited organisation.
Jonathon ‘Gus’ Dunster, Managing Director of SVR (Holdings), said: “We’ve answered many detailed queries from shareholders and members about the changes and the overall message we received about our proposals was extremely supportive.
“This is an ambitious time scale and there are challenges, however it is the clear route to take.
“We hope to be able to action the changes by the autumn, with the aim of completing these by the end of 2025.”
Picture by Kevin Whitehurst. s
Shareholders will vote on the conversion at the Annual General Meeting of SVRH in June, and then members will vote on their organisation’s amalgamation with the new entity at the SVR Company Limited’s AGM in August.
Charlie Wright, director of the SVR Company Limited, said: “Converting to a CCBS will unlock huge benefits for the SVR.
“We will be able to access new funding streams and make significant cost savings as a result.”
The third member of the SVR, the charitable trust, is wholly supportive, but cannot currently participate.
