Minehead reconnected to National Rail network with a new regular service

[whole diary]

[martyjon]

Through trains to Bristol for holidaymakers and local residents will run from Minehead from Friday 20 July. For the first time since the branch line between Taunton and Minehead was closed as part of the "Beeching Cuts" in January 1971 regular public service trains will be running from Minehead to Taunton and Bristol on selected dates through the peak summer weeks. The trains are the outcome of several months of planning between the West Somerset Railway, Butlins, Mainline Rail and Victa Westlink Rail, the last named will provide the train services, and it all required complex negotiations with Network Rail and the Office of the Rail Regulator. The outcome is that services will run on Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays between Friday 20 July and Monday 27 August. The trains will leave Minehead at 11.10 calling at all West Somerset Railway stations and then Taunton at 12.55pm and then non-stop to Bristol Temple Meads, arriving at 1.46pm. The return will depart from Temple Meads at 2.06pm and will stop at Taunton at 2.42pm and then all WSR stations to Minehead, where arrival is at 4.25pm.

Taken from http://www.wsr.org.uk

[Lee]

Just goes to show what can be done. I wish them the very best of luck with this.

Here is a further related article (link below.)
http://www.rmtbristol.org.uk/2007/06/regular_bristolminehead_passen.html#more

Paul Conibeare , general manager of the West Somerset Railway , said: "The service can only work if the trains are used by enough people to pay for their costs, which are considerable."

"No subsidy is being paid by Central or local government, so the trains have to stand on their own financially."

Mr Conibeare added: "Ever since the railway re-opened in 1976 it has been asserted that there is a strong local demand for trains to and from Taunton."

"This is an opportunity to assess the potential market and also to persuade visitors to the area the journey can be made by public transport."

[Graz]

This certainly is very good news. I would love to take a day trip there- however, this doesn't seem possible as unusually the trains return from Minehead and not Bristol Temple Meads. What I feel would have been a better idea would be a morning departure from Bristol TM^‡(resolve) to Minehead, then occasional services back and forth from Minehead to Taunton, followed by a late afternoon departure back to Bristol TM. As it is not possible to day-trip I do feel they're missing out on an oppertunity, but I would still love to take a trip there- and perhaps stay overnight, returning the next day.

I wish them the best of luck and would love to see this line do well.

[Lee]

More on this in the link below.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/6909143.stm

[Timmer]

This certainly is very good news. I would love to take a day trip there- however, this doesn't seem possible as unusually the trains return from Minehead and not Bristol Temple Meads. What I feel would have been a better idea would be a morning departure from Bristol TM^‡(resolve) to Minehead, then occasional services back and forth from Minehead to Taunton, followed by a late afternoon departure back to Bristol TM. As it is not possible to day-trip I do feel they're missing out on an oppertunity, but I would still love to take a trip there- and perhaps stay overnight, returning the next day.

I wish them the best of luck and would love to see this line do well.

Yes that was my thoughts on this service that its a shame it doesnt start from Bristol in the morning say around 9ish so you could travel down to Minehead for the day returning in the afternoon. I would have definately used the service had it been done this way. Hopefully that will be something that they could look at for next summer.

[broadgage]

Does anyone know if through trains between Minehead and the national network are to return?

They seemed successful in the summer of 2007, but AFAIK^▸ (as far as I know) did not run in summer 2008. Although the trains in 2007 were open to anyone purchasing a ticket, I believe that were primarily intended for customers of the Butlins holiday camp, hence the timings.

The main road between Minehead and Taunton suffers from awful traffic jams at busy times, and the motoring lobby frequently call for road widening.
A modest subsidy for through trains might alleviate congestion better than road widening.

[Feckham]

Hi

While it would be good to go BTM^▸ (Bristol Temple Meads (strictly, it should be BRI))-Minehead returning in the evening, there has obviously been some thought/input from the Butlins side.

Purely that guest's wanting to use the service need to depart, before the next incumbants arrive for their stay.  Although the over-night option is still open to travel down on the Friday, return on Saturday

[eightf48544]

Re through services from Network rail I'm on a through train from Slough to Minehead on 28th March run by Railtrail (ex Hertfordshire).

Unlike previously when I've visted the Beer Festival by through train and the 67 has worked through this tour is booked steam from Bishops Lydyard.

Keep an eye out for any specials for the beer Festival usually mid September, straight off the train and into the festival. You don't have to leave the station and when you do you are very happy!
 

[Electric train]

This is good news that an agreement between a heritage railway and NR^» (Network Rail - home page) can be reached, this will instill confidence in a number of others that are working toward the samething Great Central in Loughborough being one that is trying to do something similar.

[TheLastMinute]

Hang on guys, this thread is from 2007. It was dragged back up by broadgage asking if they were to return after running in 2007 only.

From my understanding, the Minehead to Bristol service was planned to run last year as well. That was until Victa Westlink Rail were bought up by Stobart Rail in late 2007/early 2008 and the new owners decided that they did not want to run the service in future. I believe that the WSR tried to find a new operator but without any success so until someone comes along who wants to take on the risk of running these services, we won't see them running. 

[r james]

I imagine it was very useful for Butlins?

[autotank]

Its a shame that the Butlins trains never really took off - partly I think due to timetabling and expensive fares.

I'm pretty sure there is a market for through trains to Minehead, but at the moment the WSR have quite a good heritage operation which more through trains may threaten and dilute. One of the main issue is the lack of capacity at the moment - the long section between Williton and Blue Anchor limits the line to only one train an hour each way. Steam trains will take preference for these paths as they are always going to be more profitable during July and August than a through diesel train to Taunton and beyond. Perhaps if they were to reinstall the loop between Watchet and Washford it would free more capacity for through trains. It would be great to have a daily HST^▸ (High Speed Train) from London and maybe three or four Minehead - Taunton DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) round trips in the summer.

[grahame]

I'm pretty sure there is a market for through trains to Minehead, but at the moment the WSR have quite a good heritage operation which more through trains may threaten and dilute. One of the main issue is the lack of capacity at the moment - the long section between Williton and Blue Anchor limits the line to only one train an hour each way. Steam trains will take preference for these paths as they are always going to be more profitable during July and August than a through diesel train to Taunton and beyond. Perhaps if they were to reinstall the loop between Watchet and Washford it would free more capacity for through trains. It would be great to have a daily HST^▸ (High Speed Train) from London and maybe three or four Minehead - Taunton DMU^▸ (Diesel Multiple Unit) round trips in the summer.

Just musing here ... isn't there an HST or two from Paddington that turns around at Taunton?  Is there enough time to extend it to Bishop's Lydeard and let people transfer to / from the preserved train - what a marvellous way to start / end a holiday, and extra traffic onto the HST with precious few extra miles run ...

[Phil]

There are indeed, grahame. And in a few weeks time the biennial (December and May) rock festival will be happening at Butlins, Minehead, with 30,000 people descending on the place. I've been several times, and despite the festival running special coaches to and from Taunton station, the scheduled bus services between Taunton - Minehead and back are still so full they have people clutching rucksacks hanging off the roof and sides of them like a Bangladeshi charabanc.

I'd say the majority of people attending travel by public transport. Where the infrastructure exists to provide trains, as it patently does between Taunton and Minehead, not laying on special services for those two weekends in particular is nothing short of stupid - there's tens of thousands of pounds to be made, money which is simply going begging.

[thetrout]

Whilst talking to my inside sources quite a while ago I was told that because of the signalling not quite meeting NR^» (Network Rail - home page)'s standards they could only run 6 trains a week or something along those lines onto the main line

But as people have said there is potential for huge demand. Imagine this, Running a morning LHCS^▸ (Locomotive Hauled Coaching Stock) service from Minehead to Bridgwater Calling at all stops. You would pick up passengers for work in Taunton or onward connections.

And, all the college students attending Bridgwater, Richard Huish & SCAT Colleges. Would be alot faster than the existing, irritatingly slow and not to mention expensive bus services in place

But with the risk of taking such an expensive project on, It is highly unlikely that it will ever take off