23rd July 2009

Railway author critical of Weymouth tramway

A LEADING author has made a double attack on the poor use made of Weymouth tramway and Dorset’s much-loved Swanage Railway.

Writer Benedict le Vay mentions both sets of track in his new book, “Britain from the Rails: A Window Gazer’s Guide”.

The 56-year-old from Hampshire said of Weymouth: “Here you have a terrific asset, a street tramway, which other resorts would die for.

“It could give the place a special feel, like the trams in San Francisco, and just in time for the Olympics too.

“So what does Weymouth do with it for the past 20 years - diddly squat!

“It’s useless. It could be a tourist attraction and shift people from - guess where - the harbour to the railway station. Ideal!”

But Weymouth and Portland leisure and tourism spokesman Councillor Brendan Webster was quick to put the record straight and said it wasn’t “ideal”.

He added: “Most of the time in recent years we have not been our own master over this.

“We have now bought the tramway, partly because of the possible redevelopment at the Pavilion.

“I agree it would be lovely to have a train service through the town, but you have to have a viable business plan to support it and the reality is that there isn’t one.

“I don’t view the tramway as an asset but more of a hazard to cyclists and cars.

“If the Pavilion development goes ahead then it is likely that the tramway will be dug up to remove that hazard.

“In the meantime, if someone comes up with a viable idea to use the rails then it will be considered, but only if the council has to reconsider the whole future of the Pavilion redevelopment.”

Mr le Vay was also strongly critical of the lack of use made of Swanage Railway.

He writes: “For some dunderheaded reason, at the time of writing Swanage Railway still has not been reconnected to the main line, despite about 20 years of trying.”

And he told the View this week: “It’s been a scandal how long it’s taken to rejoin Swanage to the network - given that the junction was there  - and you still can’t get a regular timetabled train from Swanage to Waterloo. In fact, I’ll donate them £50 when you can do that.”

He went on to say it was a philosophical disagreement and added: “If you view these preserved railways as museums or theme parks or leisure activities, they do a very good job, and I support them in that. I have got a few blisters relaying sleepers myself on other lines.

“But if you view them as part of the transport system in the country, they are too often not part of the solution but part of the problem.

“It’s absolutely daft how many of these West Country steam lines have carried on at places such as Swanage, Totnes, and Taunton, where the lines more or less reached the network but for decades no meaningful public transport has been provided.

“If I had my way, all the directors of Network Rail, South West Trains and First Great Western would suffer a 50 per cent pay cut if these links weren’t restored and you know what? The technical difficulties would evaporate and the thing would be running in a few weeks.”

Swanage’s commercial manager Martin Payne replied that it was not their fault that the popular line had not been connected to the main railway system because they had “moved heaven and Earth” to try and achieve that.

He added: “Fortunately connection is quite close and we are looking tentatively at 2013 to be able to operate a regular service to Wareham on the main railway line although it will almost certainly be diesel rather than steam.

“Physically we are already connected to the main line through track at Motala between Norden and Furzebrook. Only a set of points prevents trains going backwards and forwards.

“Things have really moved forward this year because Swanage’s bay platform can now be used for passengers which it couldn’t before.

“This gives us an extra platform and much more flexibility at the Swanage end particularly for our long term plans.

“The demolished signal box at Corfe Castle is being rebuilt so it can control the level crossing at Norden and to help improve Swanage’s connection with the main line.

“Things are moving forward and on April 1st a passenger train arrived from London, the first to Swanage since 1972. This was followed in May by the first steam train from London to Swanage since 1967.”

He added that these movements involved a total of four trains and that a fifth, a diesel charter is now being planned for September 26th from Crewe and Birmingham into Swanage with a probable sixth, an outgoing steam charter in November, to be confirmed.

Mr Payne said: “Swanage Railway has been going 30 years this month and the future is very bright.

“Many heritage railways are effectively museums and don’t go anywhere, but we are a commercial railway doing what the railway was built to do in the first place which was taking people to the seaside. In fact, current services are more frequent than the original service.”

Mr le Vay’s book goes on to praise the beauties of the Southampton to Weymouth line and even more so the Heart of Wessex line from Weymouth to Bath.

Of the two Wessex lines, which he headlines as "undiluted old England at her best", he said: “These are just lovely, lovely routes and not only traverse some of the most charming countryside in the world but also cross various completely contrasting types of scenery.”

Return to news headlines