East Midlands Trains will be running a special High Speed Train (Intercity 125) service from St Pancras International to Dereham in Norfolk on Saturday the 14th of May.
This one-time trip marks the first time a High Speed Train has ever visited Dereham, and is intended to raise money for both the Railway Children’s Charity and to support a preserved railway on the East Midlands Trains network.
Tickets, priced just £47.50 return, are on sale at the UK Railtours website. The train will depart from St Pancras at 07.42 and will call at Luton Airport Parkway, Kettering and Leicester.
It will then run via Peterborough through to Wymondham, where it will proceed down the Mid Norfolk Railway line through Wymondham Abbey and Thuxton to Dereham.
Passengers will be given the opportunity to spend more than two hours in the pleasant Norfolk market town before the train returns via Norwich.
David Horne, Customer Service Director for East Midlands Trains said:
“A number of our employees at Norwich are involved in the Mid Norfolk Railway, the preserved railway which runs to Dereham via a link at Wymondham on our Nottingham to Norwich route.
“Running a special HST from St Pancras to Norfolk seemed a great opportunity to support our staff and raise money for such a valuable cause at the same time. Tickets have been selling fast, and we’ve already raised over £16,000 for The Railway Children, but there’s still plenty of tickets available and we’re keen to make sure we can raise as much as possible.
“It really will be a unique and special opportunity for passengers and we want to make sure people don’t miss out on this one-off trip!”
To further support the work of the Mid Norfolk Railway, once at Wymondham, the HST will become part of the special ‘Drags and Rescues’ weekend, with preserved diesel locomotives dragging the train through to Dereham and back to Wymondham. This is the first time an HST has been ‘dragged’ by a Class 50 train since the early 1990’s and will mark a significant event for many rail enthusiasts.
Katie Mason, Events Manager for the Railway Children, said:
“We’re very excited to have this special train run in our honour. All the money raised will benefit vulnerable children living alone on the streets and will help us to provide the care, support and services they desperately need.”
As well as all proceeds from the ticket sales going to the charity, the 19 East Midlands Trains employees who will be helping out on the day are either donating their days’ wages or working for free.
