Closed to the public since 1960, years of neglect had reduced Broadway Station to a derelict ruin for over half a century.

Today, a brand-new station, built by the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway’s volunteers to much the same design as the original, stands proudly in its place. After a landmark event over Easter, which saw a steam train leave Broadway station for the first time in decades, trains will run throughout the day connecting Broadway to the station at Cheltenham Racecourse some 15 miles away. The trains will pass through stations at Toddington, Winchcombe and Gotherington.

One such volunteer, who has spent countless hours renovating Broadway Station, is Cheltenham resident Martin Lovegrove. He said: “All the volunteers have worked tirelessly over a number of years, it’s been a real team effort. To see the station looking as it does now is really satisfying. All the hard work has been worth it.

“The station at Broadway hadn’t been used in almost 60 years so you can imagine the state it was in when we began working on it. The hardest work involved clearing all the vegetation that had built up over the station and laying down the new steel rails for the track. It was physical work, often carried out in pretty awful weather, but when you look at the station now it’s definitely been worth all the effort.”

“The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway shareholders and volunteers were lucky enough to be invited onto the train for a celebratory journey before the public were allowed on at Easter. That was a real thrill. It was quite an emotional moment seeing that carriage leave the station in Broadway for the first time. It was great to meet all the people who have come together over all these years and worked so hard in bringing train travel back to Broadway. It’s great that the residents of Broadway, Gotherington, Winchcombe and Toddington can be connected to a large town like Cheltenham.”

The work carried out was thanks to the huge success of the railway’s ‘Broadway: The Last Mile’ share offer, launched by the railway’s President, Pete Waterman in 2016. The Offer raised more than £1.3 million which has enabled materials including brand new rails to be purchased, as well as allowing work on the station building to be finished.

As well as allowing the public to experience a journey on a steam train, the Broadway to Cheltenham line will also be open for special World War II reconstructions. Children will be taken back in time to 1940 for a glimpse into wartime life, when many children from cities were evacuated into the countryside.

For more information and the latest timetables visit https://www.gwsr.com/