The Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway (SKLR) in Sittingbourne, Kent, will kick off its 2026 season with a ‘Four Days of Steam’ event over the Easter bank holiday weekend, running from Good Friday, 3 April 2026, through Monday, 6 April 2026. The reopening is one of the area’s first major local tourism events of the year; the line was originally built in 1905 to serve the local paper mill.
Families can ride vintage trains hauled by SKLR’s heritage locomotives. SKLR’s event page states that Premier (built 1905) will be in charge of trains for the Easter event; the event page does not list Leader as in service, so Leader’s operational status for Easter is not confirmed. Trains depart Sittingbourne Viaduct station at 12:00pm, 1:00pm, 2:00pm, 3:00pm and 4:00pm, and the journey to Kemsley Down takes about 15 minutes. Sittingbourne Viaduct station is located within Sittingbourne Retail Park (the car park area is immediately adjacent to the retail units, including a nearby KFC).
The event features Easter egg hunts for children (on Easter Saturday, Sunday and Monday) and refreshments available at the Footplate Café on the Kemsley Down site. According to Visit Swale, the railway is an important local attraction and a gateway to Milton Creek Country Park, helping bring visitors to nearby parks and businesses.
Visitors will benefit from recent accessibility improvements at Sittingbourne Viaduct station: a rebuilt, step-free path and platform (installed with support from Swale Borough Council) now improves access for wheelchair users and people with pushchairs, making visits easier for families and those with mobility needs.
Ticket revenue from special events such as the Easter weekend helps the volunteer-run SKLR charity fund ongoing maintenance — including work and fundraising related to the Milton Regis viaduct. More information on the Easter timetable, fares and booking is available on the railway’s official event page: https://www.sklr.net/timetable-fares/special-events/easter/.
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