THE East Lancashire Railway will remain open to visitors following the announcement of tier three restrictions for Greater Manchester and Lancashire.

The heritage railways’ scheduled passenger services, as well as the Halloween Ghost Train, Santa Specials and Dining trains, will all continue to operate following government and local authority guidelines.

However ELR’s two pubs, Bufferstops in Rawtenstall and The Trackside at Bury Bolton Street station, will both be closed.

Next weekend, the notorious Irwell Grimm will be haunting tracks from Bury to Irwell Vale as the Halloween Ghost Train returns.

The ‘Monster Squad’ will be taking over the tracks, telling stories of the famous spooky character - known to haunt the ELR tracks and the East Lancashire region.

From October 29 to 31, families can experience a 65 minute journey from Bury to Irwell Vale, filled with fancy dress, spooky stories, ghoulish characters and lots of tricks and treats - and are encouraged to attend in their creepiest attire.

Guests will be invited to help the Monster Squad solve the mystery of the Irwell Grimm, who will be spooking customers along the way. There will be the opportunity to take socially distanced selfies with the Monster Squad, if anyone is brave enough.

ELR chairman Mike Kelly said: “It’s been a difficult time for everyone at ELR as we’ve waited for confirmation on the move to tier three.

“It has been widely acknowledged locally that we have successfully run a Covid safe railway since our reopening in early August. We’re very pleased to still safely welcome visitors to the railway and I can reassure everyone that we’ve put all the necessary measures in place to ensure our stations and trains are fully Covid-secure.

“It’s clear that this year's events are going to be a little different compared to previous years, due to social distancing measures put in place, but we’re confident that they are going to be just as exciting and fun filled experiences in the best traditions of the East Lancs Railway.

“There will be a more station based interaction than visitors to Halloween or Santa Specials last year may remember, but with the help of our amazing staff, volunteers and supporters - the events will be as much entertaining as they always have been.”

ELR is fully Covid-secure, with new processes including NHS Track and Trace and temperature testing are in place and Covid seating arrangements for all our visitors. These stringent safety measures have been recognised with the Visit England ‘We’re Good to Go’ Charter Mark to acknowledge ELR is meeting all government and public health Covid-19 requirements.

Tickets for Halloween and Santa Specials must be purchased in advance, so to book your place with confidence visit www.eastlancsrailway.org.uk