Britain's steam trains are at risk of disappearing from railways after a row over its door locks erupted.
A move by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to scrap an exemption that allowed the use of traditional hinged-door carriages has left West Coast Railways warning that their steam and classic diesel trains could be banned.
In January, the Jacobite train service - dubbed the “Hogwarts Express” - was removed from the railways because the doors on its 60-year-old carriages don’t have central locking.
The ORR shared concerns about passengers being able to open the doors themselves while the train was moving - risking injury.
Steam trains including The Flying Scotsman are at risk of being banned from the railwaysGettyThe new rules would cost West Coast Railways - the biggest operator of steam and classic diesel trains - an estimated £7million.
Commercial manager James Shuttleworth said the fitting of new locks across the fleet of 125 coaches was both unjustified and beyond its resources.
A cross-party group of MPs have now written to Rail Minister Huw Merriman urging him to engage with the ORR.
"Nobody is saying they want to compromise on safety, but we’ve got to keep the historic ambience of the old carriages. Otherwise nobody will want to travel in the first place," Shuttleworth told The Telegraph.
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He added that the Hogwarts Express had "become a key part of the Highland economy."
The loss of the Hogwarts Express would cost an estimated £25m a year in lost tourism revenue.
Last December, West Coast lost a High Court appeal over the ORR’s ruling.
Around 77,000 tickets costing between £55 and £98 have been refunded to passengers for a season that should have started last month.
The loss of the Hogwarts Express would cost an estimated £25m a year in lost tourism revenue.
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An ORR spokesman said: "The law states companies cannot operate rolling stock with hinged doors for use by fare-paying passengers on the mainline, without the means of centrally locking them in a closed position.
"Other charter heritage operators, which use the mainline railway, have made the necessary investment to install central door locking on ‘hinged door’ rolling stock (or have committed to do so over a transition period) and it remains open to WCRC to do the same."
A Department for Transport spokesman said: "The ORR is the independent rail safety regulator, and it would therefore be inappropriate for the department or ministers to intervene in their decision to refuse a further exemption to West Coast Railways, which was upheld by the High Court."