News RSS Feed Send your news, pictures & videos


Dorset and the New Forest book

Facebook Daily Echo on Facebook

All of today's content from across the site, all in one place at bournemouthecho.co.uk/today

Time running out for Swanage rail plan cash

5:00pm Friday 19th February 2010 in


THE deadline to secure £3 million funding to reconnect Swanage to the mainline rail network is fast approaching.

Network Rail bosses need to know the money is in place by the end of February, or the project could be delayed indefinitely.

Campaigners, councillors and Purbeck business leaders are pushing for the reconnection, after an absence of mainline services for more than three decades.

Tim Westwood, traffic manager at Dorset County Council, said: “We’ve asked South Dorset MP Jim Knight if we can get the £3m from government funding, as part of a regional funding application for the south-west, for infrastructure improvements.

“If we don’t get the funding, we don’t make the connection.

“We were told by Network Rail if we don’t do it then, it could cost maybe three or four times as much, later on.”

Last December, Purbeck District Council and the county each agreed to invest £50,000 to help upgrade Worgret Junction.

This investment was vital if Network Rail was to include Worgret Junction in their planned Poole to Wool re-signalling work in 2012.

British Rail closed the Purbeck branch line in 1972.

Swanage and Purbeck Hospitality Association vice chairman Julian Maughan, said: “The impact on the town and the Isle of Purbeck of losing the service in the early ’70s was dramatic.

“Reconnecting the line would have an equally dramatic and positive impact on the region from a social, economic and commercial perspective.”

The county and district councils form part of the Purbeck Rail Partnership – a group including South West Trains and Borough of Poole, which is determined to reconnect to the mainline.

A district council spokesman said: “The Purbeck Rail Partnership is still waiting for Jim Knight MP to shake out some underspend from other projects within the south-west.”

Last November, volunteers ran their first steam locomotive from Swanage to London since 1966.

Comments(16)

McVICAR says...
5:12pm Fri 19 Feb 10

As beeching decimated the british rail system in this country I would have thought that the government was duty bound to assist in raising the money required, whats three million pounds to a government that wastes billions every minute of every day

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Nickolai says...
5:42pm Fri 19 Feb 10

This really is a no-brainer. the money should be raised forthwith to allow regualr services to run over this line, bringing so much to the area and helping get cars of the road .
The hopelessly corrupt and self-serving Beeching Report set about the surrender of this country to the car and lorry - the re-percussions are with us everywhere, especially in this part of England.
Fortunately, this mindset is being reversed, all over the country new railway lines are being opened, old ones re-opened and a determination to get people and freight off the roads and back onto the railways .

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Donkey of Langton says...
8:34pm Fri 19 Feb 10

Yes, come on Jim ... this figure is chicken feed in the broad spectrum of things and think of Swanage which never gets it's fair share of the pot with the Tories in charge of councils down here. Not everyone votes for them tight-fisted people who cannot see further than their noses.


Show the people of this area that a Labour Government will help them as well as they do the inner-cities and jobless areas. If the sad occasion arises and Cameron's crowd get in we can kiss goodbye to this line connection for at least a decade if it is up to them.

It will mean so much to us who live hereabouts and who also feel deprived of the fuel for this golden opportunity.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

rook says...
9:17pm Fri 19 Feb 10

OK, 3 million's not a lot in budget terms, but really, will anyone use this? Everyone uses cars because it's more convenient. We all know it's killing the planet and still drive. Expecting people to take a step back to use trains just won't happen unless driving is too expensive. Note - not train is cheaper, driving will have to be prohibitively expensive.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Danfox Davies says...
9:49pm Fri 19 Feb 10

If this project is to be marketed for environmental friendliness, it had better involve electrification all the way to Swanage.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

traindriver3ss says...
10:17am Sat 20 Feb 10

i'd love this to happen but I'm afraid it almost certainly wont!!! I don't think this one was beeching though was it? quite a while after! but what do i know i'm just a nipper

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

cantique says...
11:30am Sat 20 Feb 10

I wish you luck in getting any funding from the Government. As has been mentioned elsewhere the last surviving flying Vulcan needs less than £1 million to fly this year, but the Government has not seen fit to offer any assistance. It seems that Mr Brown and friends are not interested in the country's heritage.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

upontown says...
4:06am Sun 21 Feb 10

This is getting ridiculous!

Purbeck council, will you please just 'lend' the money to Swanage railway. £3 million these days is not a lot. You sold a place which netted you 7 million yet you're still undecided on what to spend it on.

Lend the money out so not only does this piece of history continue but thousands of people will be able to come from all over the country because they could and the economy of the area would benefit more than you will ever know.

Mark my words, if you don't do something you'll be losing a whole lot more than just a connection.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

castiron says...
11:53am Sun 21 Feb 10

Swanage Town Council sold the caravan park, not Purbeck. So it makes even more sense for them to lend the money

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

push=pull says...
3:24pm Sun 21 Feb 10

Danfox Davies wrote:
If this project is to be marketed for environmental friendliness, it had better involve electrification all the way to Swanage.
I'm afraid electrification won't happen, however, on March 27th there is a special excursion train coming from London, (it's fully booked), hauled by two Electro-Diesel locomotives. I will run electric from London to Wareham, when with a flick of a switch, will change to diesel for the short trip down to Swanage. This is the a type of train that could in future run from say Bournemouth to Norden/Swanage.
I think there around 400 passengers on this one train, saving many car journeys.

http://www.swanagera
ilway.co.uk/news621.
htm

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Purbeckboy says...
11:07pm Sun 21 Feb 10

The Swanage Branch was closed because it would cost too much to electrify. Electricity is not necessarily environmently friendly. When Lorries become environmently friendly, then it will be possible for the railway to follow. Until then give the opportunity for people to travel from London and other places to Purbeck without using their cars. Swanage Town Council is about to make more money by selling the alloment site for development, so with the £7M from the Caravan Site, there should be enough for a bright future for the town.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

mhadley says...
4:24pm Mon 22 Feb 10

Speaking as a Swanage Town Councillor, I can tell you that the Council looked into the possibility of lending money to the various bodies behind organising the Swanage/Wareham signalling link, but it is not legally allowed to do this. Another thing, if the allotments are sold, the money is desperately needed to fund the town's backlog of repairs and maintenance, which is why there's also talk of moving the Tourist Office from the seafront and vacating the Town Hall; but yes, there's £7m for capital investment in a scheme to benefit the town: perhaps a wet-weather community/leisure centre?

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Purbeckboy says...
5:11pm Mon 22 Feb 10

Sounds a s if the time has come to rationise local government and do away with Swanage & Wareham Town Councils, and let Purbeck District council run the whole show. There must be duplication that is costing us the ratepayers dearly.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

castiron says...
5:36pm Mon 22 Feb 10

Why is it not legally allowed to lend money? Can you show us your workings out?

If the ratepayers wants it, and this could be proved by a referendum or summat, why can't a way be found to do it? A much better thing to spend money on than a community centre.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

yankee says...
10:53pm Tue 23 Feb 10

Mike Hadley - glad your are on board with spending the 7.25 million windfall on something beneficial for Swanage, such as a leisure centre.

I agree that Purbeck DC is small and not very influential, while Swanage TC is large (it is actually a Parish, not Town Council), and by unifying both Swanage and Wareham TCs into a unified Purbeck Town Council, a lot of redundant effort and waste might be avoided. Purbeck District Council might then be large enough to have some clout - which is clearly lacks.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

Purbeckboy says...
10:27pm Fri 26 Feb 10

In the Gazzette just issued there is a report that seems that the £7M is ear marked for a new town hall on the "employment land" at the Business Park. No wonder they are reluctant to help out Swanage Railway. I am sure that the supporters of destroying countryside in an ANOB to provide jobs for Swanage residents, did not intend a Town Hall and a HRC to be built there instead.

Report this post »    Register/Log In »

More News stories


Most popular







Local Information

Enter your postcode, town or place name

House prices »   Schools »   Crime »   Hospitals »

Local Businesses