SUPPORTERS of the cash-strapped West Somerset Railway (WSR) may be asked for money to help it recover after a landslide shut the line just before Christmas.

The company said it did not want to price customers off its trains by increasing fares, and so it was freezing the cost of advance online tickets this year.

The announcement left the railway with little room for financial manoeuvre other than a direct fund-raising appeal to supporters.

The landslip at Combe Florey, just outside Bishops Lydeard, saw the heritage railway re-route its ‘Santa specials’ and illuminated Winterlights to run to Norton Fitzwarren instead of Crowcombe Heathfield.

It followed changes in faming practices in nearby fields which also saw mud and potatoes cause the closure of the A358 three times during 2022.

Now, the company, which has been running at a £1,000 a day operating loss, is looking at how repairs can be carried out in time for the start of its scheduled Bishops Lydeard to Minehead train services in March.

However, contingency plans were being drawn up to use parts of the line in case the repairs were not ready in time.

WSR chairman Jonathan Jones-Pratt said damage to the embankment alongside the A358 in Combe Florey was ‘potentially a serious problem’, although the railway track and formation had not moved.

Mr Jones-Pratt said a detailed engineering assessment of the situation took place immediately after Christmas and it was estimated contractors would need four to six weeks to undertake the necessary embankment rebuilding and reinforcement.

He said: “Railway civil engineering is expensive and at the moment we are unclear how the work will be funded, although we anticipate some compensation.

“Even with all the support we have, it is likely that we will have to appeal to our supporters.

“The railway does not have large financial reserves.

“I have been extremely heartened by all the support and encouragement we have received and I am sure we will be fully operating again before long.

“We have been in touch with colleagues with specialist knowledge both on the mainline railway and in other heritage railways.

“We are very grateful indeed for the extraordinary level of support that has been offered at very short notice over the Christmas period by professional colleagues.”

Mr Jones-Pratt said Somerset County Council was working with the farmer to ‘reduce the fundamental problem’.

WSR director Frank Courtney said winter trains had been ‘very successful for the railway’ despite all the challenges, and had hit ‘budget targets’.

Mr Courtney said: “We are hoping that the embankment work can be completed before the start of the new running season in the middle of March.

“However, we are developing a contingency plan, should this not be possible, so that trains can start to run on the available railway at the earliest possible time.

“We have in any case been reviewing our entire commercial approach because we recognise that in the current national financial situation, we have to make sure we have, in addition to our existing tickets, a range of offers for people to travel with us at realistic cost.

“We will, in any case, be freezing the price of our popular advance purchase on line tickets.

“While we have to ensure our trains make money, and we do, we have a wider responsibility to try as hard as we can not to price our very loyal passengers off the railway.

“This coming year is going to be quite a challenge but we are confident we can meet it.”