Off to a 'Flying Scotsman' Start as the Severn Valley Railway is reopened - CML Civil Engineering

Iconic Flying Scotsman Travels Over Mor Brook

Thanks to the Severn Valley Railway (SVR), the CML team had the honour of travelling behind the iconic Flying Scotsman last Friday (25th July), celebrating the successful completion of emergency repair works at Mor Brook and the full reopening of the Severn Valley Railway after six months of disruption.

The special service departed Kidderminster Town station at 9:00am, carrying 350 passengers on a 16.5-mile journey through the picturesque Worcestershire and Shropshire countryside. The train was met with a triumphant welcome at Bridgnorth station shortly after 10:00am.

A short ceremony followed the train’s arrival, where SVR Managing Director Jonathan ‘Gus’ Dunster paid tribute to all those involved in the challenging repair project, and to the generous donors who helped fund costs not covered by insurance.

“Some of us have had the pleasure of visiting the site over the past few weeks to see the work that CML has been doing—it’s been nothing short of miraculous in my view,” said Gus. “When they first presented their plans, they said it was a complicated site but they were confident it could be repaired in around six weeks. I thought that was ambitious… but thanks to their confidence and capability, here we are today.”

Flying Scotsman travelling over our site at Mor Brook (Photo credit: From Above Drone Photography)

"Everything was going well until Gus stepped in and said, ‘I’ve got the Flying Scotsman for 25th July - can you make it happen?!’ It’s testament to CML and their team, who only went home one weekend in the final month. The dedication and professionalism they showed to complete the work under tight timescales is incredible."

Anthony Bartlam
Project Manager, Severn Valley Railway

A Triumph of Teamwork

CML has over 30 years of experience working on maintenance and renewal projects with heritage railways. These projects always benefit from a strong collaborative spirit, and the Severn Valley Railway exemplified this by bringing together expert suppliers and stakeholders to achieve the best possible outcome.

We’d like to thank our valued suppliers on this project, including SEP Rail, Moore Concrete Products and Elite Precast Concrete, who supplied the Legato blocks that now form a robust retaining structure to reinforce the repaired embankment.

CML Contracts Manager Stuart Hale reflected on the achievement:

“It’s satisfying to see an idea first discussed on site in February come to life. The project presented challenges, but our management and site teams went above and beyond to deliver on our promise of a July 25th reopening. Everyone involved should be immensely proud of what’s been achieved.”

We’re especially grateful to Severn Valley Railway for inviting the entire delivery team aboard the Flying Scotsman—a memorable and fitting way to mark this historic milestone.

A huge well done to everyone involved. A truly special project and a remarkable day in the history of the Severn Valley Railway.