Heritage line Avon Valley Railway celebrates 35 years, Downturn hits regional airports

Avon Valley Railway celebrates 35 years

As the Avon Valley Railway celebrates 35 years, and the Mangotsfield to Bath branch line upon which it is based marks 140 years, David Clensy visits Bitton Station to discover the surprisingly radical aspirations behind the heritage line.

These days the station at Bitton may seem like a rather sedate heritage railway - the sort of place where people bring their grandchildren on a Sunday, but back in the early 1970s, the line which would become the Avon...