More trains are desperately needed on Bristol to Weymouth line

COUNCILLORS have agreed to continue to promote the Bristol to Weymouth railway line which passes through Pen Mill Station in Yeovil – although they accept that more trains are desperately needed to keep it moving.

Members of South Somerset District Council’s Area South committee this month agreed to award £1,000 to the Heart of Wessex Rail Partnership which aims to promote the destinations served by the railway line during 2013-14.

But Cllr Peter Seib said he questioned whether it was a worthwhile venture when the actual services were in great need of improvement.

“I travel this line occasionally and the trains are running beyond their capacity,” he said.

“There is a desperate need for more trains and rolling stock and I don’t understand why we continue to push this when it can’t go much further.”

Every summer there are complaints made from families in Yeovil who want to go down to the seaside at Weymouth and are confronted by overcrowded trains when they pull into Pen Mill Station.

But Cllr Seib’s concerns about supporting the Rail Partnership were outgunned by his colleagues on the Area South committee.

Cllr Ian Martin said: “From what we put in – we get a lot out of it. It involves lots of district councils being represented along the length of the line from Bristol to Weymouth.

“We need to promote the line and £1,000 a year is super value.”

Cllr Tony Lock said: “We have to look at the broader picture and the economic viability of the area. Rail commuters are dependent on this line.”

And Cllr Cathy Bakewell added: “This is excellent value for money.”

Councillors agreed that they needed to lobby the rail companies to provide more trains and carriages for the line – especially during the summer months.

But Cllr Tim Carroll warned: “This isn’t a main line; it is a branch line – so it’s not going to get a whole pile of investment.”

The council’s Helen Rutter, who has been heavily involved in the Rail Partnership, said that to cope with demand during the Olympics – with Weymouth hosting the sailing events – the rail authorities assembled a “rag bag of carriages” together to provide transport.

A council report said that passenger journeys on the line were 705,500 in 2002-03, but had risen to 1.8-million in 2012-13.

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