THE East Lancashire Railway has confirmed it will be hosting Flying Scotsman in a series of visits in 2021.

Owned by the National Railway Museum, the iconic steam locomotive was supposed to be visiting over the Easter weekend, but coronavirus restrictions meant that the event had to be postponed.

Now, the East Lancashire Railway has revealed dates for the locomotive to return at the end of Summer 2021.

Passengers who were booked for the Easter weekends can transfer to the new dates:

Sunday, August 29

Monday, August 30

Friday, September 3

Saturday, September 4

Sunday, September 5

Tickets are valid for one return trip between Bury and Rawtenstall in a reserved seat, existing Bury to Heywood ticket holders will receive a free-of-charge upgrade to a Bury to Rawtenstall trip.

Tickets are already on general sale, and if restrictions allow, passengers will be able to access two more special services yet to be announced.

ELR Chairman Mike Kelly, said: “We are truly delighted to play host once again to the most iconic locomotive in history. We were devastated not once but twice when we had to cancel the Scotsman’s return to the ELR because of Covid-19.

“Whilst the railway has been through some challenging times recently due to the coronavirus outbreak it’s great to now have some exciting and positive events to look forward to, allowing us to offer our loyal customers who stood by us a rare chance to ride behind this giant of steam in 2021.

“The ELR really comes alive on weekends like this. It’s such a special occasion for steam enthusiasts and families alike and we look forward to welcoming them all.”