NORTHUMBERLAND'S Aln Valley Railway (AVR) will not reopen before Easter 2021.
This follows an inspection by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) which raised multiple concerns over the line's safety management system, maintenance policies, record keeping and crew competencies.
The railway has come a long way since the first track was laid only eight or so years ago, having expanded operations beyond its Alnwick Lionheart headquarters and onto the former Alnmouth branch.
Track laying on the extension has reached a point where a new temporary terminus - Greenrigg Halt - has been established, which the railway had hoped to open this year.
Concerns over the AVR's safety management system (SMS) were first raised last year, prompting the line's trustees to ask Green Dragon Rail to carry out a full health and safety audit last autumn.