Hogwarts Express train risks being derailed AGAIN over health and safety rules despite upgrades
The Harry Potter locomotive should have begun its twice-daily service on April 1, but has not yet run this year.
Health and safety rules which brought the future of the Jacobite steam train, made recognisable by its appearance in the Harry Potter films, into question have once again put the railway's future at risk.
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The steam train's 70-year-old carriages had been banned over safety fears because their doors do not have central locking, taking the train carriages out of service last year.
West Coast Railways, which runs the service, said the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has forced them to use newer carriages, which have been unpopular with tourists.
The steam train is best known for carrying Harry Potter from King’s Cross to Hogwarts Castle for the new school term, and has been taking fans of the film through western Scotland for decades.
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The carriages are also more expensive because their air conditioners cannot be run off a steam locomotive, and need a heavy diesel engine attached to the back of the train to operate them.
James Shuttleworth of West Coast said: “The newer carriages require an electrical supply. So you’ve got to have a 2,000-horsepower, 120-ton diesel locomotive on the back, which is a very expensive dead weight".
The train, which usually operates twice daily in western Scotland throughout the summer and passes famous landmarks like the Glenfinnan Viaduct, should have begun its 2026 timetable on April 1, but has yet to run this year.
West Coast is asking the ORR for permission to bring back the original 'Mk1s' coaches, which only require a small window to be opened to provide ventilation, reports the Telegraph.
Shuttleworth warned that without the changes, the future of the service, officially called the Jacobite, which has operated the 41-mile route between Fort William and Mallaig since 1984, could be at risk.
"I don't know what we would do. We were losing money working like that, and you don't go into business to lose money," he said, adding that the vintage Mk1 carriages are central to the service's appeal.
"The Jacobite needs to have the Mk1s to carry on. They're the best vehicles for tourists and general passengers. You open the windows, and you've got fresh air, and they've still got the comfy seats, big windows and all of that."
West Coast confirmed it has agreed to retrofit the vintage 1950s carriages with central locking systems as part of its submission to the ORR. Shuttleworth added that they are also seeking an exemption to operate the old stock without them this summer.
But the scale of the project is considerable, with 120 vehicles needing conversion at a cost likely to exceed £5m, the process could take years and has cast doubt on whether the plans will be approved.
Shuttleworth said, "Other companies got two years to fit a dozen coaches. I’m hardly thinking we’re going to be getting twenty years to fit 120 coaches, but a reasonable period of time.”
The ORR is currently assessing the proposals. A spokesman said, “We note that West Coast Railways recognises the need for central door locking on the Mk1 carriages it operates. However, work remains to establish the feasibility, detail and delivery timeline of the proposed approach”.