Great Western Coffee Shop

Swindon to Weymouth train service cancelled

A direct rail service from Wiltshire to the Dorset coast, successfully trialled last summer, has been cut by operators.

The Sunday service ran for eight weeks from Swindon to Weymouth via Melksham, Chippenham, Trowbridge and Westbury.

Over 1,000 passengers used the service provided by The TransWilts rail group and First Great Western last year.

But Simon Doggett, from First Great Western, said the service would not be re-introduced this year as it "coincides with the Olympics".

"There will be far greater demand to use our trains than normal and we need to devise a plan, as a company, which can deliver as many people on the core route as possible through to Weymouth," said Mr Doggett.

"It's very difficult at the moment to grow new bits of the market when you're dealing with a very unique and in many ways quite an extreme situation."

Last year the service proved so popular that additional carriages were needed.

Campaigners said its success proved the business case for a rail link between north and south Wiltshire.