Could Heritage Railways ever go faster?

[Journeyman]

The Light Railways Act doesn't actually specify a limit, and in any case is no longer the governing legislation - that's theTransport and Works Act 1992.

Most heritage railways now come under the ROGS legislation from 2006, which is European legislation designed for interoperability. Obviously they don't need to worry too much about that! Interestingly, ROGS permits less onerous safety approvals processes for speeds less than 40km/h, which is approximately...24.85mph!

As I understand it, each heritage railway operates under a safety case that will, amongst other things, specify a speed limit, and which has been accepted by the regulator. If someone wanted to make the case that measures X, Y and Z would ensure that operating at (say) 45mph achieved an acceptable level of safety, they would be more than welcome to do so. And the regulator would assess their application for increased speeds, making a decision on that basis. The NYMR's runs to Whitby, and their reluctance to implement the measures needed to run over 25mph, suggest that it's probably not worth the cost of generating the paperwork.

I've bolded "safety case" because it's not the right terminology - strictly speaking, that's something you only need when you go over 40km/h. I think the correct term is "safety management system", but yes, every heritage railway has an agreed speed limit which dictates their approach to safe operation and the levels of equipment and rules required. As stated, the second you go over 25mph, it gets far more expensive and onerous, so the case very, very rarely adds up.