TWO RAILTOURS are set to call at stations in the area providing opportunities to travel either over a new rail line or take a trip through the heart of Wales, writes Neil Gordon.
Pathfinder Tours ‘Verney Venturer’ will call at Northfield next Saturday, February 15 and will be the first passenger train over the new East-West Rail route between Bletchley and Bicester since the 1990s, on a section of line linking Oxford and Cambridge once fully open.
The excursion will be hauled by two class 33 diesel locomotives, with the remaining Standard Class tickets costing £135.00 each.
Confirmed timings are for the train to pick-up at Northfield at 9.05am and set-down at 7.55pm
The Verney Venture starts and ends in Bristol and will pass through Bromsgrove, Barnt Green and Longbridge on its outward and return journeys.
Meanwhile, in August the Heart of Wales Rambler will call at Barnt Green en route to Cardiff and the Swansea District Line, before joining the 90-mile Heart of Wales line.
The excursion passes through the Towy Valley, Llandrindod Wells and Craven Arms before arriving in Shrewsbury for a break. The return leg heads through the Welsh Marches and towards Newport, before rejoining the South Wales Mainline and back to England.
Standard Class tickets cost £135.00 each, with the tour being hauled by two class 37 diesel engines. Estimated departure times for Barnt Green are 7.45am pick-up and 9.45pm drop-off.
A spokesperson for Pathfinder Tours said: “The Verney Venturer’ will traverse the scenic Chilterns before heading into London and up to Leicester, offering a unique experience that has captured widespread interest.”
For more information on these and other excursions, visit: www.pathfindertours.co.uk
