Tourists have expressed their disappointment after the ‘Harry Potter’ train broke down on its first day back on the track.
West Coast Railways (WCR) announced on Friday that it would be returning to the West Highland Line this morning – travelling the iconic route between Fort William and Mallaig – after introducing a fleet of carriages with central locking doors.
The heritage rail operator pulled its services last month as it waits for an exemption for its “slam doors” which the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) say are not safe.
WCR has warned that replacing the doors on every carriage could bankrupt the business, and cost local and national communities up to £50 million in lost value.
But it has taken the step to introduce some central locking doors on board, albeit with reduced first-class capacity and without the Harry Potter coach.
Disappointment on first day back
Many passengers travelled to Fort William, some travelling from overseas, to ride the famous line on its first day back today.
However shortly after leaving, the train broke down near the Glenfinnan viaduct “due to extremely poor weather conditions”.
One passenger said he was told it was the “first time in 124 years the train didn’t make it to Mallaig”.
Others told The P&J they had to wait for four and a half hours with no heating to get back.
At Fort William railway station on her return, Sarah Wood from Sussex described her “disaster of a day”.
The 39-year-old added: “I’ve got all the way from Brighton and now we are stuck.”
Frustrated customer Pete Roberts, from Blackpool, said: “I’ve waited nine months to go on this trip and it was a complete disaster.
“They told us that there was something slipping on the line and for the first time in 124 years the train didn’t make it to Mallaig. Huge disappointment.”
Husband and wife Andrew and Valerie Endacott made the trip up from Derby to experience the train.
Mrs Endacott said: “We are cold, hungry and tired. We waited for more than three hours with very little communication. We got over the Glenfinnan Viaduct and everything stopped.”
Her husband who had been “really looking forward” to the trip for a number of months said the whole experience was “a huge disappointment”, adding: “We are freezing and heading back to the hotel.”
‘We sat there for hours’
George Richardson and Christine Thomson were in the Highlands for two nights celebrating their 70th birthdays with their family.
Mrs Thomson said: “We came up yesterday and we were so pleased we were going to get a ride on the steam train. We booked in November and our tickets were cancelled so we rebooked the train for today. We got here and we went over the viaduct then nothing, we sat there for hours.
“Our families paid for the tickets, there were six of us. There was no offer of any food or drinks. We had to pay for everything. It is a huge disappointment.”
Sabrina Fabre, who travelled from France with her family for the excursion, told The P&J: “We came from the south of France to spend time on the Harry Potter train. We have been on a cold train for four hours with no food.
“We are sad and disappointed.”
One woman, who did not want to be named, said: “We had fun and we laughed a lot, but it was not what we planned or expected and we are freezing now.”
‘We did our best to restart the service’
Apologising to customers, a spokeswoman for WCR said: “Earlier today, just outside of Glenfinnan, the Jacobite broke down due to extremely poor weather conditions.
“The team onboard did their best to restart the service, but the Jacobite had to be rescued by another diesel engine and we were not able to offer customers the experience we planned. We will be issuing them with compensation.
“We are pleased to confirm the Jacobite will run as normal tomorrow.”
