Summer Saturday Swanage Railway service launched by SWR

South Western Railway launched a new summer Saturday service linking Salisbury and Weymouth on May 26. A three-car Class 159 train continues to the Swanage Railway.

The trains run via Yeovil and Sherborne until 8 September. It means SWR services will call at Maiden Newton, Chetnole, Yetminster and Thornford on the Heart of Wessex Line for the first time. The stations are normally served only by Weymouth to Bath trains operated by Great Western Railway.

Weymouth town centre is notoriously short of car parking on summer weekends, and the beach and harbour are both a short walk from the station.

A weekly train then continues from Weymouth to Dorchester South, Moreton, Wool and Wareham, before running to Corfe Castle on the heritage Swanage Railway. The train makes two further return trips between Corfe Castle and Wareham before returning at 1600 via Weymouth to Salisbury and continuing to London Waterloo, arriving at 2019.

The Swanage Railway said it was the first time since 1969 that Corfe Castle had had a scheduled service to London.

It had planned to run a 90-day trial service this summer between Swanage and Wareham. But its heritage diesel multiple unit stock remains in Eastleigh works under refurbishment, meaning the service has been postponed until 2019.

Swanage Railway Chairman Trevor Parsons said: “This new summer Saturdays service shows what can be achieved through joint working and the Purbeck Community Rail Partnership.”