THE VINTAGE steam railway has now become one of the most successful attractions in the Cotswolds and attracted almost 72,000 passengers towards the end of June.

This compares to the 46,500 passengers the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway had at the same date last year, which equates to a 52 per cent increase.

A delighted Colin Fewell, volunteer commercial director of the railway spoke of the their success.

"We are eclipsing our past success and records are tumbling one after the other," said Mr Fewell.

In fact, the railway are in such high demand that some passengers have been turned away as there is simply not space to accommodate them.

"Our railway now goes through more than 14 miles of glorious landscape from Cheltenham to arguably the most delightful of Cotswold villages, Broadway," added Mr Fewell.

"Businesses in Broadway are telling us that they have noticed an increase in the number of visitors to the village since the station re-opened."

This comes some 58 years after the railway was closed by British Railways.

As well as commending the railways achievements, Colin has paid tribute to the railway's 950 or so volunteers.

"Our volunteers often go above and beyond in their commitment to make sure that all our visitors have a fantastic day out," explained Mr Fewell.

To find out about the steam railways upcoming events visit gwsr.com