IN the face of increasing operating costs, the East Lancashire Railway (ELR) is looking at ways to maintain as many services as possible, but reduce costs where appropriate – such as removing lightly-used journeys from the timetable.
ELR chairman Mike Kelly explained: “Visitor wise, it is well documented that fewer passengers ride our trains on a Sunday, in particular early trains, which are regularly running empty or with just a handful of passengers, and where passenger numbers generally pick up closer to midday. “As a result, these early trains are always running at a loss. We have also considered the impact on volunteer fatigue, as for many it’s a very long day. To address this, we are introducing a new slimmed down Sunday timetable which shortens the operating day by around 60 minutes.”