SWANAGE Railway bosses have secured a deal with County Hall that paves the way for a permanent reconnection to the mainline rail network.

A 99-year lease has been signed, enabling the heritage railway to use three miles of trackbed that Dorset County Council has acquired from Network Rail.

This marks a significant step forward in the bid to reconnect Swanage with the mainline, which is set to start on a trial period from late 2015 and run on 140 selected days over two years.

Swanage Railway Company chairman Peter Sills signed the lease agreement at a special ceremony at Purbeck District Council’s Wareham headquarters, which was witnessed by members of the Purbeck Community Rail Partnership.

Mr Sills said: “The signing of the 99-year lease with Dorset County Council is a very important and historic day for the Swanage Railway and the development of public transport in Purbeck.”

It has been a long-standing ambition of the Swanage Railway to complete the link from Swanage and Corfe Castle to the mainline at Wareham, after British Rail axed the service in 1972.

Last year railway volunteers celebrated after landing a £1.47 million Coastal Communities Fund grant to help finance this project.

Explaining the significance of the latest lease deal, Mr Sills said: “It enables the final stage of work to take place to ensure the delivery of a trial train service.”

The newly acquired line will have to be upgraded to allow passenger trains to run along it at 25mph.

Work, estimated to take a year, will include track restoration, replacement of 1,700 sleepers, bridge repairs and embankment clearing, as well as construction of a level crossing and road-rail interchange just west of Norden station.

The leased line runs a quarter of a mile south of Worgret Junction to Motala, half a mile east of Furzebrook, which is the start of the existing Swanage Railway.

Swanage Railway Trust chairman Gavin Johns said: “The Swanage Railway has a significant role to play in Purbeck’s future transport needs, and we look forward to playing a part in this.

“I am grateful to our partner Dorset County Council for demonstrating its commitment through the course of the lease discussions to enable this important stage to be concluded.”