swanage - almost there ...

Councils back £2.7m plan to reconnect Swanage to main rail network

1:00pm Monday 11th June 2012 in LatestBy Jim Durkin

ROLLING ON: A train pulls into Harman’s Cross station

RAIL chiefs are gearing up for the start of a historic £2.7million engineering project that could herald Swanage’s reconnection to the mainline railway network within two years, it has been announced.

Dorset County Council and Purbeck District Council leaders support the scheme, which should pave the way for Swanage to reclaim its place on the national rail map after four decades in the sidings.

Campaigners, councillors and Purbeck businesses have pushed for the reconnection since British Rail closed the Purbeck branch line in 1972.

Network Rail bosses demanded a firm commitment from the district and county councils to provide £2.7m funding ahead of this year’s scheduled Poole to Wool re-signalling work.

This commitment was agreed and the county has already handed over the first instalment and finalised the agreement with Network Rail, it has emerged.

Work is scheduled to start on Worgret Junction by the end of August and should finish by the following May.

County council leader Angus Campbell said: “We are grateful to the many people who have worked behind the scenes for so long on this funding agreement.

“Now we need to focus on the next phase of the project which is to help Swanage Railway lease and upgrade the line between Norden and Worgret Junction and to ensure legal agreements are in place to allow it to use the Furzebrook sidings to store and maintain trains.”

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The volunteer Swanage Railway, that has run preserved steam and diesel trains between Swanage and Norden since 1995, will be able to run eight return journeys through the revamped Worgret Junction per day, once the work is finished.

This new signalling will also allow trains from the branch line to join the mainline and so reach Wareham.

District and county councillor Mike Lovell said: “This is the first major step towards providing a regular service between Swanage and Wareham for 40 years.

“It will be a key transport link for local people who work or study in Wareham, Poole, or anywhere along the south coast.”