The Alderney Railway

The Alderney Railway runs for about two miles along the north-east coast of Alderney, from Braye Road, near the harbour, to Mannez Quarry at the eastern tip of the island, below the lighthouse. It is the only working railway in the Channel Islands. The line opened in 1847, built by the government to carry stone from the quarries in the east to the great breakwater that shelters Braye, and it went on carrying stone for well over a century.

The passenger train is the surprise. A diesel locomotive called Elizabeth, built in 1949, hauls two cars of London Underground 1959 Tube Stock, numbered 1044 and 1045. Built for the tunnels under London, they now run past sand dunes, Victorian forts and the open sea.

Volunteers have run the trains since 1980, on summer weekend afternoons. Alderney is a Crown Dependency in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, not part of the United Kingdom. Aurigny flies to the island from Southampton and Guernsey, and a passenger ferry crosses daily from Guernsey.

Trains leave from Braye Road station, at Braye. Past School Crossing the line starts a gentle, curving climb, then straightens out by the builder's merchant. At Battery Crossing the view opens up: the island's reservoir on one side and, on the other, Braye Bay and the long grey line of the breakwater, with Fort Albert standing over it.

Beyond the fort the line climbs harder, at 1 in 70 at its steepest, to Whitegates, the highest point of the railway at just over 70 feet. Essex Castle stands on the hill to the right, above Longis Bay, and on a clear day the French coast shows across the water: Cap de la Hague and Flamanville. The line then runs straight above Corblets Bay, past Fort Corblets and a flooded quarry stocked for anglers, and into Mannez Quarry, where the rails end among the sheds. The lighthouse and the bird hide on Longis Pond are a short walk away.

The train

Two cars of London Underground 1959 Tube Stock, numbered 1044 and 1045, make up the passenger train, hauled by Elizabeth, a diesel built in 1949 and bought by the railway in 1985. The line's other vehicles are Wickham railcars of the 1950s, which run inside Mannez Quarry on some special days, and Molly 2, a diesel of 1958. The railway also runs a miniature railway, at £1 a ride.

Stone for the breakwater

The government built the line to carry stone to the breakwater at Braye, which reached 1,425 metres and protected a harbour meant for the Navy. In the winter of 1911–12 a train ran off the end of it into the sea; the crew were unhurt, and the engine was fished out and repaired. The Rev. W. Awdry heard the story and used it in one of his railway books.

The railway runs on summer weekend afternoons. In 2027 trains run every Saturday from 1 May to 25 September, and every Sunday from 13 June to 26 September except 4 July. Each running day has two departures from Braye Road, and each train goes out to Mannez Quarry and back:

Good to know:

• Specials. The Easter Chicken Run on Sunday 28 March 2027 leaves at 14:00 and 15:30. During Alderney Week a train runs on Wednesday 4 August at 12:00 and 13:30. The Santa Special runs on 18 and 19 December at 13:00 and 14:30.
• This winter. The 2026 Santa Special runs on Sunday 20 December, at 12:30 and 14:00 from Braye Road, and the 2027 calendar opens with a single train at 14:00 on Saturday 2 January.
• Tickets on the day. The ticket office at Braye Road opens at 13:30, half an hour before the first train.

Times as of November 2026, from the operator's 2027 timetable. Check the calendar on alderneyrailway.gg (opens in a new tab) before you travel; the line is run by volunteers.

Tickets are sold at Braye Road station on the day; there is nothing to book in advance for an ordinary train. An adult return to Mannez Quarry costs £12 and a single £6. Children aged 3 to 16 pay half, £6 return and £3 single, and children under 3 travel free. A ride on the miniature railway costs £1.

For the Santa Special, tickets are also sold in advance at Cycle & Surf in St Anne. Fares checked November 2026 on alderneyrailway.gg (opens in a new tab); pounds sterling, one adult.

No rail pass is valid on the Alderney Railway. Interrail's table of railway companies lists no operator in the Channel Islands, and BritRail's conditions exclude heritage and tourist railways, and ships, so neither the train nor the boat to the island is covered.

For this journey, buy a ticket at the station. A return costs £12, and a pass would not cover the flight or the ferry that gets you to Alderney either.

Checked November 2026 against interrail.com (opens in a new tab) and britrail.com (opens in a new tab).

Alderney is three miles long, so everything on the island is within reach of the train. St Anne, the only town, stands on the hill above Braye, the harbour and the beach lie at the start of the line, and the lighthouse and Longis Bay are close to the end of it.

Braye, by the harbour and the beach, puts you close to the station; St Anne, up the hill, has hotels and restaurants too. Fort Clonque, on its tidal islet, is let as holiday accommodation by the Landmark Trust.

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