The Hogwarts Express is back on track, literally, having been granted a temporary exemption to a safety rule.
The steam train was temporarily grounded due to safety concerns, but the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) did a complete 180 and decided the train can run until November.
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Known as the Jacobite, the steam train runs for a stretch of 41 miles, starting at Fort William and ending at Mallaig, in North West Scotland.
Boarding the train, made famous by Harry Potter, is like using a time machine and people love it.
However, as you can imagine, it is quite difficult for an old train such as this one to comply with safety regulations.
A few weeks ago, ORR safety inspectors found issues with the secondary door locks and were forced to shut the train down.
In short, the ORR discovered passengers were at risk of falling from carriages while leaning out of windows because the locks weren’t strong enough.
West Coast Railway Company Limited (WCRCL) fixed the issue, the train was inspected again, and a new exemption certificate was provided.
An ORR spokesperson said that the exemption certificate isn’t something they came up with just for this train.
“It is required for all train operators who want to use hinged door carriages without central door locking fitted,” the ORR said.
“The exemption certificate is granted for a timebound period from 8 August to 30 November to enable it to honor its bookings.”
Mind you, that sounds like bad news, because it means we don’t know what’s going to happen after November 30.
However, in the meantime, tourists who want to pack their favorite broomstick and book tickets are more than welcome to do so.
The train isn’t particularly expensive either.
At least by UK railway standards.
Tickets start at £57 ($72), while a first-class return ticket ‘only’ costs £89 ($113).
If you want an entire compartment, it’ll cost you £385 ($491).
