The Gwili Railway thread

Good answer Matt

 

Thank you, glad it's been thought through and isn't just a "we want to go further" project

 

I know the income from Coach parties is a welcome one, but please can I urge you not to fall into the trap of another railway I'm aware of who appear to have largely sold their soul to Coach parties at the expense of walk-up and enthusiast customers?

At this particular railway, there are multiple stories from the past year of people turning up ad-hoc (they were in the area or passing and thought they'd stop for a ride) only to be told there were no walk-up tickets available because the whole set (4 carriages in this case I think) was booked out to a mix of dining customers and coach parties. They appear to be deeply wedded to pre-booked fares only (even if on the day).

Furthermore, on the Saturday of an enthusiast-focussed gala where they were running two sets of carriages, they booked out half the carriages on one of the sets to a coach party, meaning all the punters who were there for the actual gala were squeezed into the other two carriages.

You clearly cannot sustain a railway on Enthusiast income - that's impossible! But please don't be tempted to sell out to coach parties at the expense of everyone else

That said - I wish you all the best with your extension!

 

Problem is, coach party income isn't just welcome, it's guaranteed. Show me a railway at the minute that can afford to turn down guaranteed money just in case someone might decide to turn up for a ride. For many, finances are on a knife-edge right now. If someone offers to fill four mk1's for me, for one trip or the whole day, I'm taking it (not least because if I don't, another line will.)

 

Short term, I get it. Longer term, I think it's a dangerous strategy that puts all the eggs in one basket, and risks a very large gap if the demand slows. Having visited the railway referred to by @alexl102, my reaction was that I didn't feel especially welcome as an "ordinary" visitor, and that this discouraged me from repeating the experience.

 

I've said it elsewhere and I'll say it again here; coach parties are not a panacea, but they are not a panacea. They need to bc welcomed as part of a programme that is balanced around the various potential types of visitors. They can provide a good steady inco0me right up to the moment when they don't for whatever reason, and lines that aim to rely too heavily on them may come unstuck in a big way.

 

Had a similar experience, but there was almost room.for all the ordinary passengers, and there were quite few. But boarding left a bit to be desired, the station staff were overwhelmed rather. My wife was rather put off going again but as it was one of my favourites we did go again and fortunately the experience that time was better. But there were a lot of unhappy punters, I know because the comments being made, who may have been put off visiting again


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