'Harry Potter' Jacobite train operator slammed for substitute 'Primark' carriages

Passengers travelling on the Hogwarts Express-style Jacobite train in the Highlands have been angered after its normal red carriages were replaced with blue ex-British Rail Inter-City coaches.

The Friends of the West Highland Lines (FoWHL) said it was “like seeing a Marks & Spencer store from the pavement and going in and finding it’s Primark”.

A Jacobite service hauled by a diesel locomotive passing Glenfinnan Station on May 14 | Contributed

The substitute carriages have been drafted in by operator West Coast Railways as part of an ongoing dispute with rail safety regulators who have insisted the train must have centrally-locking doors.

The move has added to the frustration of Harry Potter fans booking tickets for the service between Fort William and Mallaig because its steam locomotive has been temporarily replaced with a diesel engine due to the high wildfire risk.

One passenger posted on Tripadvisor: “Awful coaches, not the Harry Potter coaches we were expecting, modern blue and grey coaches.”

The Jacobite’s usual red carriages | Jane Barlow/PA

Another, Alan G, said: “Complete waste of time! We are sitting on what can only be described as a old 70s/80s inter city carriage, not even a classic.”

Marie, visiting Anjou in France, posted: “Very disappointing. We planned an immersive experience and ended up on a cigarette-smelling train from the 70s. Nothing or almost nothing to do with the Harry Potter movie except a few goodies sold.”

West Coast Railways has applied for a further exemption from the long-established central door locking requirement for its original Jacobite carriages, which are known as “Mark 1s”, despite losing a High Court case against the Office of Rail and Road regulator (ORR) in 2023.

Subscribe today to the Scotsman’s Transport newsletter

Doug Carmichael of the FoWHL, said: “Although the coaches have all the requirements expected by the ORR, West Coast Railways should have considered fitting new door locking to their existing fleet to satisfy the expectations of their customers, a majority of whom are ardent Harry Potter fans and expect the train to look similar to that shown in the movies.

“A coach the 'wrong' colour is a bit like seeing a Marks & Spencer store from the pavement and going in and finding it’s Primark.”

A passenger said the blue carriages were "not the Harry Potter coaches we were expecting" | Contributed

The carriages have been used on the Jacobite’s afternoon service but from Monday they will be used on the morning service.

In a statement on its website, West Coast Railways said: “Due to the extreme weather conditions we have experienced from the start of our season, we are having to carry out additional and essential maintenance on our carriages.

“Starting on May 19 and lasting for a few weeks, the normal carriages used on the morning service are to be replaced with our ex-British Rail Inter-City rolling stock in their traditional colours of blue and grey.

“The use of these carriages on the Jacobite service is a rare opportunity.

“Although the exterior differs from the usual carriages, the interior is still of the same standard so we are confident that you will have an enjoyable trip.

“All booked passengers will be notified where it affects them.”

Commercial manager James Shuttleworth added: “They're being used as they are already fitted with central door locking until such time as we gain an exemption for the Mark 1 vehicles. Dialogue is on-going with the ORR.

“As far as the blue and grey is concerned, we're not disguising the fact.”

Mr Shuttleworth explained that the carriages were being switched between the two daily services because the steel “tyres” on their wheels were having to be changed more often than usual.

He said: “There is a plan to rotate/swap the vehicles so the tyres can be turned on our lathe, due to wear, which also happens more frequently in dry weather.”

The extra maintenance needed follows similar conditions in 2018 when the Jacobite carriages’ tyres had to be changed four times rather than twice as normal.

That led to the cancellation of Christmas trips because of insufficient time to complete the work after the end of the summer season in October.

The Jacobite, developed from a steam service launched on the route by British Rail in 1984, is the closest thing to the fictional Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter books and has been operated by West Coast Railways for the last 30 years.