Taylah Eastwell
After being closed for 250 days, Puffing Billy will return to the tracks on Saturday 28 November as metropolitan Melbourne continues to take gradual steps towards COVID normal.
Passengers will be welcomed back aboard one of three services available, with Puffing Billy travelling from Belgrave to Lakeside every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The services will be running with a COVIDSafe Plan in place, as well as increased safety and sanitation protocols.
Team members of the Railway have made the most of the closure by conducting maintenance on the various trestle bridges along the corridor, clearing parts of the 24km track and servicing the locomotives, which are now fired up and ready to go.
CEO of Puffing Billy Railway, Steve O’Brien, said team members have been working carefully behind the scenes to minimise the number of contact points between customers, staff and volunteers and preparing their COVIDSafe Plan.
“This time of temporary closure has also given us the opportunity to introduce new COVIDSafe experiences that we now look forward to sharing with the community,” Mr O’Brien said.
For further information on the Railway’s COVIDSafe Plan visit https://puffingbilly.com.au/covid-safe.
