Following the publication of the proposed 2018 South Western Railway timetable, local MP David Warburton has written to South Western Railway to appeal for improvements to the timetable between Frome and Waterloo.
In his letter to Andy Mellors, managing director of South Western Railway (formerly South West Trains), the MP made the following appeals:
• To introduce a Saturday service from Bruton and Frome to London Waterloo, arriving at mid-morning and returning early or mid-evening, to help attract shoppers and day-visitors from London to Frome and to Bruton.
• To introduce an earlier London-bound service to serve Frome, Bruton and Castle Cary on a Sunday afternoon, to make the area more accessible to weekend visitors and to enable residents to travel to London on a Sunday evening.
• To reinstate the 12:55 Waterloo to Yeovil Pen Mill service which directly connects London to Frome, Bruton and Castle Cary, plus its useful connection at Westbury for residents shopping in Bath or Bristol.
• To extend the 22.25 Waterloo to Gillingham service one stop to include Templecombe and for this service to run 30 minutes later, as a more convenient time for those returning to Somerset from an evening out in London.
David Warburton also urged South Western Railway to continue the recently-introduced summer Saturday service from Templecombe to Dorchester and Weymouth and to extend this service to include Sundays, as a convenient way for families to take day-trips to the coast during the summer.
Finally, the MP suggested establishing a shuttle service between Castle Cary and Westbury or Trowbridge to help alleviate the excess traffic which is generated by the popular Frome Independent Sunday market.
David Warburton said, “Establishing convenient and user-friendly rail connectivity is a priority for local rail-users and here in Somerset it’s essential not just for economic prosperity, but also for the convenience of us all. It’s important to ensure that the timetable reflects the needs of local residents, as well as helping to attract visitors and business to the region.
“Having spoken to local residents, I’ve passed on their feedback to South Western Railway and I hope we’ll see continued amendments and improvements to the timetable to ensure that a convenient and user-friendly service is delivered both for local people and also for the many visitors from further afield that we’re attracting.”
