Fast route Weymouth, Yeovil, Salisbury to Waterloo

[whole diary]

[Bmblbzzz]

I can't think how though, other than going via Castle Cary and reversing at Westbury.

[JayMac]

Yep.

[bradshaw]

The parliamentary discussion can be viewed here

http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/9821192f-f0cd-41f4-87fd-9b7118bfd9ab

[dorsetbeachcomber]

A less expensive option would be to use the "original" route to Weymouth from London Paddington.  Currently HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) take 1 hour 30 mins from Paddington to Castle Cary.  Current journey time from Castle Cary to Weymouth is one hour.  With infrastructure/signalling improvements, especially around Yeovil Pen Mill/Maiden Newton, this could be reduced by ten minutes, giving a journey time from London Paddington to Weymouth of around 2 hours 20 minutes, and Dorchester West around ten minutes less.

The current service from London Paddington to Castle Cary could be increased to hourly with alternate trains serving Taunton/Exeter or Weymouth.  Yeovil would benefit from a two-hourly fast train to London from the better-sited station of Yeovil Pen Mill, close to all the massive new housing developments.

There are already proposals to reinstate double track between Castle Cary and Yeovil Pen Mill.  This would give added impetus to this project.

There is huge potential for improved train services between Yeovil and London.  Yeovil Pen Mill to Paddington is a faster and more convenient route than via Yeovil Junction.

[Bmblbzzz]

I reckon a station at Sparkford would be nice, while we're at it!

Surely that is going to involve the double-reversal between the two Yeovil stations?

Weymouth to Waterloo via Yeovil and Salisbury can of course be done with just one reversal.

I'd still like to know how. Just out of curiosity.

[grahame]

I reckon a station at Sparkford would be nice, while we're at it!

Surely that is going to involve the double-reversal between the two Yeovil stations?

Weymouth to Waterloo via Yeovil and Salisbury can of course be done with just one reversal.

I'd still like to know how. Just out of curiosity.

With reversal at Westbury ... indeed from last Monday SWT^▸ (South West Trains) are running a direct Yeovil to Waterloo service via this route.   

I was in Frome this morning, and it would be fair to say that some of my contacts feel that timing of the new service isn't ideal.    Interestingly, while there's now a train from Yeovil and Frome to Westbury at the end of the working day to take potential commuters home, there remains a gap in getting people to work in either town from West Wiltshire

[Bmblbzzz]

Thanks. That's how I was thinking it might be done. Makes sense from Yeovil but rather circuitous from Weymouth or Dorchester. In fact, even from Yeovil, once you're at Westbury wouldn't it be quicker to carry on to Reading and Paddington? Anyway, that's possible even if not sensible!

[grahame]

Thanks. That's how I was thinking it might be done. Makes sense from Yeovil but rather circuitous from Weymouth or Dorchester. In fact, even from Yeovil, once you're at Westbury wouldn't it be quicker to carry on to Reading and Paddington? Anyway, that's possible even if not sensible!

The first main railway route from London to Weymouth was Paddington to Chippenham via the Great Western Railway maine, then south / west from Thingley Junction along the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth, all of which is open to passenger trains today.

The second route was via London and Southampton, Brockenhurst and Wimbourne, and Wareham to Dorcherster where the line was originally intended to go straight ahead toward Exeter, but got turned left to join the board gauge lines (standard gauge had to be provided) to Weymouth

A major diversion to the second route - cutting out Wimborne and substituting Christchurch, Bournemouth and Poole, came later.  So in some way that route - now the main one - is the third route.

A logical express service from London to Weymouth could be to run them as 5 car bimode, attached to the 5 car bimode with a destination of Cheltenham Spa to Swindon, and dividing the train there.  Of course, with the hourly Swindon to Southampton Airport service sharing the now-single track section north of Trowbridge, it would probably need to be redoubled.

[Bmblbzzz]

Thanks. That's how I was thinking it might be done. Makes sense from Yeovil but rather circuitous from Weymouth or Dorchester. In fact, even from Yeovil, once you're at Westbury wouldn't it be quicker to carry on to Reading and Paddington? Anyway, that's possible even if not sensible!

The first main railway route from London to Weymouth was Paddington to Chippenham via the Great Western Railway maine, then south / west from Thingley Junction along the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth, all of which is open to passenger trains today.

London to Weymouth via New England? That is a long way round! 

Thanks for the history.

A logical express service from London to Weymouth could be to run them as 5 car bimode, attached to the 5 car bimode with a destination of Cheltenham Spa to Swindon, and dividing the train there.  Of course, with the hourly Swindon to Southampton Airport service sharing the now-single track section north of Trowbridge, it would probably need to be redoubled.

Ah, a way of getting an extra platform for Melksham! 

[John R]

Though the time penalty of going via Swindon would be such that the service would no longer be any quicker than the existing SWT^▸ (South West Trains) service.

[ellendune]

Though the time penalty of going via Swindon would be such that the service would no longer be any quicker than the existing SWT^▸ (South West Trains) service.

Not according to a previous post

Current journey time from Castle Cary to Weymouth is one hour.  With infrastructure/signalling improvements, especially around Yeovil Pen Mill/Maiden Newton, this could be reduced by ten minutes, giving a journey time from London Paddington to Weymouth of around 2 hours 20 minutes, and Dorchester West around ten minutes less.

That is comparable to the faster journey time quoted via Salisbury

[bradshaw]

The Southampton and Dorchester was aimed at Falmouth for military purposes, leading to competition with central line schemes promoted by both narrow and broad gauge companies.
At one point the line was going to be leased by the GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) or its allies but eventually became part of the LSWR^▸ (London South Western Railway).
The Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth was set up as a blocking line to prevent a westward extension of the narrow gauge.
While the narrow gauge opened Dorchester in 1847 both the narrow and broad gauge companies reached Weymouth on the same days - the 20th of January 1857.

Returning to the new promotion I see it as a means of influencing the new SWT^▸ (South West Trains) franchise. The minister gave the impression that it would not be done by NR^» (Network Rail - home page) but by a separate company, like Crossrail. Also it would be using a south to west curve.
It would appear to need a fast service calling at only Yeovil and Salisbury requiring significant infrastructure improvement.
Again the minister gave the impression that it might be some time away.
What is needed is a strategic plan for the two lines, looking at the future. This would need to explore the replacement of the 159s and possible electrification, the Devon Metro at the western end as well as this scheme.
The Railway Magazine article I mentioned above adds some detail to this.

[John R]

Though the time penalty of going via Swindon would be such that the service would no longer be any quicker than the existing SWT^▸ (South West Trains) service.

Not according to a previous post

Current journey time from Castle Cary to Weymouth is one hour.  With infrastructure/signalling improvements, especially around Yeovil Pen Mill/Maiden Newton, this could be reduced by ten minutes, giving a journey time from London Paddington to Weymouth of around 2 hours 20 minutes, and Dorchester West around ten minutes less.

That is comparable to the faster journey time quoted via Salisbury

But the existing service is not via Salisbury, but via Southampton and Poole, and takes c 2hrs 40m.  Via Swindon would take just under 2 hrs to CC, and then another 50 mins (say) to Weymouth. 

[grahame]

Let's not overlook the business case though.  Weymouth's population is around 65,000 with Poole and Bournemouth each being 3 times bigger - so the current service it gets is really enjoyed on the tail of that urban sprawl.  Send trains via Yeovil and you'll miss out that reason for such a good service, and I would suspect that the express Weymouth to London traffic doesn't on its own justfy the service.   Mind you, 65,000 people serving a tourist area has a lot more transport requirement than a town without such trade of the same population - for example Wrexham.

Major development at Yeovil, the idea of a developemnt corridor from Weymouth to Yeovil which has been mooted (I understand) by the LEP^» (Local Enterprise Partnership - about), and housing development around the halts could make a difference - but all I can do is ask questions as I don't know the area all that well.

Westbury to Reading ... none-stop trains diverted via Swindon currently take 10 inutes longer. And that involves three slow junctions - Heywood Road, Bradford and Thingley.  The latter two re-aligned to fast double track junctions would reduce that 10 minutes ..