HISTORY has been made at Swanage Railway after the first mainline train ran on the newly-completed three-mile extension towards Wareham.

Following 18-months of extensive work to restore and upgrade the former Network Rail line onto the London to Weymouth mainline, train speeds have been increased up to 25mph with the Project Wareham supporters train being the first to run at the new speed.

Guests including the High Sheriff of Dorset Sir Philip Williams, Swanage Railway Trust patron Sir William McAlpine, local government representatives and a member of the Government's Department for Transport in London were on the two-carriage South West Train services running between Wareham, Corfe Castle and Swanage. It also carried community representatives and Purbeck Community Rail Partnership members.

Trevor Parsons, chairman of Swanage Railway Company, said: "The running of the first passenger train on our newly completed extension at 25mph was a great day and a very proud one too. It represented a lot of work.

"The restoration and upgrade of our new three-mile extension to within a quarter of a mile of the main London to Weymouth line takes the Swanage Railway a further step towards Wareham.

"Project Wareham shows what can be achieved by working with partners and stakeholders. I would like to thank everyone for their professionalism, commitment and sheer hard work over the past 18 months."

A £500,000 state of the art level crossing has been installed west of Norden station as part of the works to enable the passenger trains to run from Swanage to Wareham, as well as a new rail-road interchange next to the crossing.

Steve Mackenzie, Purbeck Council chief executive, spoke on behalf of the Purbeck Community Rail Partnership (PCRP) to thank the team at Swanage Railway for their hard work.

He said: "We were privileged to be part of this historic occasion and are grateful for the hours of hard work, much of which was voluntary, that made it happen.

“The completion of the three-mile track upgrade, the new Norden level crossing and the increase in line speed are a major step towards a trial passenger service between Swanage and Wareham."

A two-year trial passenger train service between Wareham, Corfe Castle and Swanage is set to start in the summer of 2017.

For more information, go to Swanagerailway.co.uk