L&BR Press Release

Exmoor success story -  Busiest year ever for the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway

The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway has had its most successful year to date.

For 2014 we introduced three rebuilt original heritage carriages dating from 1897 and 1911 and these have been a real hit with the travelling public. During the last 12 months 46,000 passengers travelled on the railway, with numbers 26% up on 2013 and 43% up on 2012 - impressive figures clearly indicating the railway’s strong attraction for visitors and enthusiasts alike.

Our ongoing success already provides clear and sustained benefits for many other local businesses in the North Devon and Exmoor area.

The receipts and passenger numbers not only eclipse several other well-established heritage railways but also exceed the original railway’s traffic figures prior to its closure in 1935.

The increase in visitor numbers has resulted in a growth in income of 29%, producing a very useful financial surplus which has been used to boost the funds for a planned extension of the railway.

A planning application for a five-mile extension to the line will be submitted in the next few months. When that extension is operational, the benefit to the local economy is predicted to be in excess of £5M per year.

Thank you everyone for your continued support of the project to reinstate the legendary Lynton & Barnstaple Railway.