Swanage Railway - return of passenger services and reopening to Wareham

[whole diary]

[John R]

Bear in mind that for the first couple of years a service on 50 days a year, rising to 90 is envisaged. So this rules out commuter traffic straight away. I am guessing that the emphasis will be on providing a link for holidaymakers and weekenders, eg with trains on Friday through to Sunday in the peak summer months, and maybe a token service at other times of the year.

However, if success is dependent on holiday traffic, then that makes marketing the service more tricky, as effectively you need to sell it across the country. This can only work if owners of accommodation in Purbeck assist by making it clear in their marketing that a rail option is available. And for them to do that there needs to be certainty as to the service well in advance, for which the 2015 start date will be helpful.

I'm reminded of the ill fated Bristol to Minehead service a few years ago which suffered from being launched too late to capture any meaningful business. I'm sure that won't have been lost on those involved with this project.

[swrural]

Clearly the object initially is just to provide a park and ride 50 days per year whereby instead of parking at the present preserved railway facility at Norden, another option is that one parks at one's home station and 'rails' to Swanage.  That could be very good for all rail companies, actually, so a 'good thing',  but to describe that in terms of 'commuters', as the press did, was ridiculous.

On the enthusiasm of the local county council for sustainable transport, I have to admit a bias against it, as I contested the A354 Weymouth road carving through the ancient Ridgeway, to the bitter end.  Its attitude to the alternative sustainable options was just to say they were not relevant, without providing any evidence, as we opponents did.  However, the local MP^▸ (Member of Parliament) got it through (and then promptly lost his seat anyway so that was a waste of time; still they gave him a peerage to compensate).  Traffic now just queues a bit further up the road.   

Swanage is very similar to both Weymouth and Torquay; there is just one way in and one way out (effectively, I know about Sandbanks and the ferry) so all three locations are tailor-made, as it were, for a sustainable commuter provision.

Doesn't look as though that will happen soon, if the people to operate it to Swanage will be solely hobby enthusiasts who will only turn out on a Saturday afternoon in summer and not at 0650 on a freezing morning in November, now does it?  I hope I am misinformed or have got the wrong end of the stick though.   

   

[ROGace]

read somewhere in past 2 days that FGW^▸ (First Great Western) are running an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) excursion into Swanage this summer or late summer

am i deluded or is this the case lol

any info gratefully rec'vd thanks!

[paul7575]

See previous posts 34 & 35 of this thread.

It is pointed out there that it is the Cotswold Line Promotion Group (CLPG^» (Cotswold Line Promotion Group - about)) http://www.clpg.org.uk that are planning the charter - although no doubt FGW^▸ (First Great Western) will be providing the stock, that is not quite the same as it being an FGW excursion, theoretically the CLPG could use anyone's HST^▸ (High Speed Train)...

Same set up as when the CLPG organised a charter to Portsmouth Harbour a couple of years ago.

[ROGace]

cheers Paul   Thx VM!

[Andrew1939 from West Oxon]

CLPG^» (Cotswold Line Promotion Group - about) has arranged many charter train excursions over its 35 years or so existence always with regular TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) and prior to privatisation, BR^▸ (British Rail(ways)). Recent excursions (the aim is to run one annually) run along the CL and then to the destination. These have always been popular amongst members and booking when it first opens is confined to existing members only but after a while booking is opened up to the public for any remaining seats. For the record, all recent excursions have been arranged with FGW^▸ (First Great Western) using an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) and have been as follows: 2012, York; 2011, Portsmouth; 2010, Minehead; 2009, Paignton. Further in the past excursions have been arranged with other TOCs including to Chester, Barmouth, Matlock & Weymouth. For 2013 an excursion has been arranged for Swanage and it is believed that that this may be the first time that an HST will have travelled to Swanage although there are rumours that another TOC may run an HST earlier in the summer. These excursions are often complicated to arrange involving NR^» (Network Rail - home page), other TOCs (for train crew with line experience that FGW crew do not have outside their normal teritory) and in the case of Swanage, with the Swanage railway itself. This all leads to fairly high costs although CLPG runs these excursions as a non-profitmaking operation as it is viewed as a promotional activity for CLPG members. For details see clpg.org.uk

[MrC]

so it may seem the re-statement of the north side bay will not be needed as the trains will run in on the up
platform  then cross over and departure will be from the down?

The re-instatement of the up side bay wasn't required because the London end crossover has been reversed and moved to allow access to the down side sidings from both platforms rather than just from the down platform in the old layout. Swanage trains will be able to terminate and start back from either the up or down platforms (or terminate in either and then shunt to the sidings and back into either platform). There's quite a bit of flexibility in the new layout - eg down trains can now terminate and start back from the up platform (rather than the down as now) and down trains can be routed around a train held in the down platform.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Details of the UKRailtours excursion, The Purbeck Adventurer, to Swanage are available on their website.

[Brucey]

^39.50 in Standard Class, from Waterloo, Woking or Basingstoke.  Very reasonably priced.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Dorset Echo:

On the right track: Swanage Railway receives tourism award for ^significantly boosting^ visitors to the area


AWARD: Richard Jones of Swanage Railway

The Swanage Railway has received an award for boosting tourism. It was praised for ^significantly increasing^ the number of visitors to Poole and the surrounding area at the 2013 Poole Tourism Awards.

Railway manager Richard Jones said: ^We pride ourselves on giving our visitors an enjoyable, friendly and memorable day out and this award is recognition of the Swanage Railway^s important contribution in increasing the numbers of visitors to the area. As well as offering a return steam train trip over five-and-a-half miles of line through the beautiful Isle of Purbeck ^ from the castle to the coast ^ there is the ball clay mine museum next to Norden station as well as the goods shed museum, exhibition coach and cinema coach at Corfe Castle station.^

Earlier this year Swanage Railway scooped a bronze award in the Green Tourism Business Scheme.

The Swanage Railway, which already has 400 regular volunteers, is happy to welcome new members.

Mr Jones, who stressed full training would be given, added: ^Our dedicated staff, both volunteer and paid, work very hard, day in and day out, to run the Swanage Railway^s train services, and it is a major commitment for our people because we run daily from the end of March to the end of October and then during weekends for the rest of the year. So the first passenger train of the day can run at 10am, a driver fireman and cleaner will have been up since 6am raising steam in the locomotive and preparing the day^s train service. While we have local volunteers, others travel from further afield such as London, the West Country and The Midlands.^

Contact volunteer coordinator Mike Whitwam on 01929 475 212 or email volunteer@swanagerailwaytrust.org.uk for further information.

[CLPGMS]

Photos of another historic visit to the Swanage Railway - http://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/news898.htm

[SandTEngineer]

This article has been published on the Swanage Railway website: http://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/news/detail/project-manager-starts-work-to-help-swanage-railway-deliver-historic-trial-trains-to-wareham

PROJECT MANAGER STARTS WORK TO HELP SWANAGE RAILWAY DELIVER HISTORIC TRIAL TRAINS TO WAREHAM

Published: April 22, 2014

An experienced project manager ^ who also used to control trains running from Hampshire and Surrey into London's busy Waterloo station ^ has started work on helping the Swanage Railway deliver an historic trial train service to Wareham.

Thanks to a ^1.47 million Coastal Communities Government grant, the trial train service from Swanage and Corfe Castle to the main line at Wareham is due to begin in September, 2015, and operate on 140 selected days over two years.

Holding a degree in railway operational management from Glasgow University, 52-year old Frank Roberts ^ who lives in Swanage ^ has been a volunteer manager on the Swanage Railway in his spare time for 31 years, specialising in building and developing the line's telephone system.

During his working life to date, Frank served for 25 years in the Royal Corps of Signals around the world ^ again specialising in communications ^ before starting a successful career with South West Trains.

That saw him part of a team delivering a ^6.8 million ticket vending machine project, then managing 12 stations in the Staines and Windsor area ^ including Olympic preparations at Eton Dorney ^ and finally being a route controller from Farnborough and Guildford into London's Waterloo station.

A member of both the Institute of Directors and the Institution of Railway Operators, Frank said: "I am immensely proud that I have the opportunity build a team to deliver an historic and pioneering two-year trial train service from Swanage and Corfe Castle to the main line at Wareham.

"I hope that I can use three decades of experience to ensure that the dream of rebuilding the Swanage Railway to Wareham that will make those two generations of people who have gone before us very proud indeed.

"There is a very heavy workload to get through ^ including some three miles of substantial track upgrade work, the construction of a level crossing at Norden and the refurbishment of two diesel multiple unit trains to main line standards," he added.

~As a Swanage Railway volunteer, Frank spent 22 years building and developing the heritage railway's lineside telecommunications system for signalling systems and telephones ^ as well as developing and managing the line's Herston Halt on the outskirts of Swanage since 1997.

Frank explained: ^The historic project to re-instate a train service to Wareham is really accelerating and while there is a lot of work to do, the implementation of many years of challenging planning is about to pay dividends."

Passionate about the seaside town where he has made his home, Frank had the honour of carrying the Olympic flame through a part of Swanage ahead of the Games during 2012.

Swanage Railway Company chairman Peter Sills said: " As well as improving access to the heart of Purbeck for tourists ^ and improving rail links out of Purbeck to Poole and Bournemouth for residents ^ it's estimated that a restored train service between Swanage, Corfe Castle and Wareham will create 40 new jobs indirectly and ten new jobs directly.

"The Swanage Railway has been campaigning to bring back regular trains to Wareham since 1972 ^ when British Rail controversially axed the service ^ and their re-introduction will give an important transport, tourism and employment boost to Purbeck as well as taking more cars off the road between Swanage, Corfe Castle, Wareham, Poole and Bournemouth.

"Connecting with the South West Trains service between London and Weymouth at Wareham, the re-connected rail link will become much easier for people to use public transport and so improve employment opportunities for Purbeck residents and increase the number of tourists," added Mr Sills.

[Btline]

Why is this taking so long? Would they need to share NR^» (Network Rail - home page) tracks? is there not a dedicated platform at Wareham?

[paul7575]

There is no independent track between the junction and Wareham Station.   I think I read somewhere that Swanage branch DMUs^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) will use one of the normal platforms at Wareham bi-directionally.

Paul

[Btline]

There is no independent track between the junction and Wareham Station.   I think I read somewhere that Swanage branch DMUs^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) will use one of the normal platforms at Wareham bi-directionally.

Paul

Ah - that's a shame. Hopefully another track could be laid in the future if there is space. (unlikely I know)