Heart of Wessex Line

Last updated

Heart of Wessex Line
Maiden Newton 37670 37401.jpg
Class 37s at Maiden Newton with a summer Saturday Bristol-Weymouth service in 2009
Overview
StatusOperational
Owner Network Rail
Locale Wiltshire
Dorset
South West England
Service
Type Suburban rail, Heavy rail
System National Rail
Ridership2,119,070 (2017) [1]
Technical
Line length87mi 20ch (140.41 km)
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Route map
Heart of Wessex Line.png
(Click to expand)
Heart of Wessex Line
BSicon STRc2.svg
BSicon CONT3.svg
BSicon STRc2.svg
BSicon BHF3+l.svg
BSicon WYE1+rf.svg
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Bristol Temple Meads
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BSicon DSTq.svg
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BSicon ABZgr.svg
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St Anne's Park
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Keynsham
BSicon eHST.svg
Saltford
BSicon exkSTRc2.svg
BSicon ekKRZ3+lu.svg
BSicon exCONTfq.svg
BSicon exkLLSTR+1e.svg
BSicon eHST.svg
Twerton-on-Avon
BSicon HST.svg
Oldfield Park
BSicon eBST.svg
Westmoreland Road
goods yard
BSicon BHF.svg
Bath Spa
BSicon eHST.svg
Hampton Row Halt
BSicon eHST.svg
Bathampton
BSicon ABZgl.svg
BSicon CONTfq.svg
Bathampton Junction
Great Western Main Line
BSicon ex3STR+1.svg
BSicon ex3STRq-.svg
BSicon e3ABZg+4.svg
BSicon exLSTRe.svg
BSicon eHST.svg
Limpley Stoke
BSicon HST.svg
Freshford
BSicon HST.svg
Avoncliff
BSicon BHF.svg
Bradford-on-Avon
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BSicon CONTfq.svg
Bradford Junction
to Chippenham
BSicon BHF.svg
Trowbridge
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon STRc2.svg
BSicon d-CONT3.svg
BSicon ABZgl+l.svg
BSicon ABZ1+fr.svg
BSicon dSTRc4.svg
BSicon BHF.svg
BSicon STR.svg
Westbury
BSicon ABZgl.svg
BSicon kKRZq3o.svg
BSicon dCONTfq.svg
BSicon kkSTR+1.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon kSTRc4.svg
BSicon exLSTRa.svg
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon exBHF.svg
BSicon STR.svg
Radstock West
1875
1959
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BSicon STRc2.svg
BSicon ABZg3.svg
Mells Road
1887
1959
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BSicon eWYE1+rf.svg
BSicon STR+c4.svg
BSicon TUNNEL2.svg
BSicon BHF2.svg
BSicon STR+c3.svg
Frome
1851
 
BSicon KBSTe.svg
BSicon STRc1.svg
BSicon ABZg+4.svg
Whatley Quarry
BSicon eHST.svg
Witham
1856
1966
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BSicon ABZgr.svg
BSicon eHST.svg
Strap Lane Halt
BSicon exkLLSTR2a.svg
BSicon HST.svg
Bruton
1856
 
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BSicon ekKRZl+4u.svg
BSicon exCONTfq.svg
BSicon BHF.svg
Castle Cary
1856
 
BSicon CONTgq.svg
BSicon ABZgr.svg
BSicon eHST.svg
Sparkford
1856
1966
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Marston Magna
1856
1966
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BSicon STR.svg
BSicon exBHF.svg
BSicon BHF.svg
Yeovil TownYeovil Pen Mill
BSicon ex3STR2.svg
BSicon exSTR2.svg
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BSicon e3ABZg3.svg
BSicon exSTRc1.svg
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BSicon STR.svg
1943 link
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BSicon d-CONT2.svg
BSicon STRc3.svg
BSicon eSTR+c1.svg
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BSicon exSTRc3.svg
BSicon dSTRc1.svg
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BSicon MSTR2+r.svg
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Yeovil Junction
BSicon exlDST~G.svg
BSicon exSTRl.svg
BSicon exkABZq1.svg
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Clifton Maybank goods
BSicon STR.svg
BSicon CONTf.svg
BSicon HST.svg
Thornford
1936
 
BSicon HST.svg
Yetminster
1857
 
BSicon HST.svg
Chetnole
BSicon TUNNEL1.svg
BSicon eHST.svg
Evershot
BSicon eHST.svg
Cattistock
BSicon exCONTgq.svg
BSicon eABZg+r.svg
BSicon BHF.svg
Maiden Newton
1857
 
BSicon hSTRae.svg
BSicon eHST.svg
Grimstone and Frampton
1857
1966
BSicon eHST.svg
Bradford Peverell &
Stratton Halt
1933
1966
BSicon TUNNEL1.svg
BSicon BHF.svg
Dorchester West
1857
 
BSicon ABZg+l.svg
BSicon CONTfq.svg
Dorchester Junction
South West Main Line
BSicon eHST.svg
Monkton and Came Halt
1905
1957
BSicon TUNNEL1.svg
BSicon eHST.svg
Upwey Wishing Well Halt
1905
1957
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Upwey
(original station)
BSicon exCONTgq.svg
BSicon eABZg+r.svg
1885
1952
BSicon HST.svg
Upwey
1886
 
BSicon eHST.svg
Radipole Halt
1905
1984
BSicon xABZgl.svg
BSicon KBHFeq.svg
Weymouth
BSicon exCONTgq.svg
BSicon exABZgr.svg
BSicon exSTR.svg
BSicon RP4.svg
1865
1999
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BSicon RP4l.svg
BSicon exKBHFeq.svg
BSicon exBOOT.svg
Weymouth Quay
1889
1987

The Heart of Wessex Line, also known as the Bristol to Weymouth Line, is a railway line that runs from Bristol Temple Meads to Westbury and Weymouth in England. It shares the Wessex Main Line as far as Westbury and then follows the course of the Reading to Taunton Line as far as Castle Cary.

Contents

History

Places served

The cities, towns and villages served by this route are listed below: [2]

Operator

Passenger services on the route are operated by Great Western Railway.

Most Great Western services originate from Gloucester. Some originate from other places such as Swindon and Cheltenham. As of May 2025, the weekday service on this line is hourly between Gloucester and Westbury, with a train in approximately every 2 hours running the whole way to Weymouth. There are only 3 departures each way between Bristol and Weymouth on a Sunday. [2]

South Western Railway operate a limited service between London Waterloo and Yeovil Junction via Castle Cary. From summer 2016 there was also a "seaside special" service between Weymouth and Salisbury or Waterloo via Yeovil Junction, but this was withdrawn in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. [3]

Rolling stock

Services are typically operated with Class 165 and Class 166 "Networker Turbo" trains. These were introduced in the late 2010s after they were released from the Thames Valley during the modernisation of the Great Western Main Line, although Class 158s are still occasionally used. [4] South Western Railway services are operated by Class 159s and sometimes Class 158s.

Before the introduction of the Networker Turbo trains, the route was typically operated with Sprinter diesel multiple unit trains, typically of 2 or 3 coach Class 150, with some Class 158 trains.

Past rolling stock has included locomotive-hauled trains, including British Railways Mark 2 coaches hauled by Class 67 used to strengthen high-demand summer Saturday services in 2008–2010 between Bristol and the seaside resort of Weymouth.

Community rail

A Bristol to Weymouth Rail Partnership was created in 1998 so that local authorities could support the line.[ citation needed ] In 2003 this was rebranded as the Heart of Wessex partnership and line. [5] The TransWilts community rail partnership (CRP) gained accredited status under the Department for Transport's community rail programme which began in 2005. [6]

In 2021, although the line's branding remains the same, the responsibility for the line was divided among three CRPs: Severnside CRP from Bristol to Bradford on Avon, TransWilts CRP covering Trowbridge and Westbury in Wiltshire, and the newly created South Wessex CRP covering stations from Frome to Yeovil in Somerset and from Thornford to Weymouth in Dorset. [7]

Accidents and incidents

References

  1. Heart of Wessex Community Rail Partnership. "HEART OF WESSEX RAIL PARTNERSHIP - LINE PLAN" (PDF). heartofwessex.org.uk. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Brighton, Portsmouth and Weymouth - Bristol, Cardiff, Gloucester and Great Malvern" (PDF). National Rail Timetable. Network Rail. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  3. "Proposals unveiled for direct trains between North & South Dorset". ITV News. 9 March 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  4. "How the West will win with new trains". Rail magazine. 15 April 2015. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  5. "Route Prospectus, Bristol to Weymouth Line" (PDF). GOV.UK. Department for Transport. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 August 2016.
  6. "Community rail". GOV. UK. Department for Transport. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  7. "Community Rail". Great Western Railway. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
  8. "Extraordinary Railway Accident". The Bradford Observer. No. 787. Bradford. 22 March 1849. p. 7.
  9. "Accident on the Great Western Railway". The Times. No. 21332. London. 22 January 1853. col F, p. 3.
  10. "Accident on the Great Western Railway". The Times. No. 25206. London. 8 June 1865. col C, p. 11.
  11. "London and South Western Railway" (PDF). Board of Trade. 21 August 1868. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  12. "Collision on the North Western Railway". The Pall Mall Gazette. No. 2716. London. 29 October 1875.
  13. "Railway Accident". The Times. No. 28340. London. 12 June 1875. p. 13.
  14. "The Bathampton Railway Accident". The Times. No. 28341. London. 14 June 1875. col F, p. 13.
  15. "Summary of this morning's news". The Pall Mall Gazette. No. 3548. London. 3 July 1876.
  16. "Railway Accidents". The Times. No. 28709. London. 16 August 1876. col C-D, p. 11.
  17. "The Storm". The Times. No. 30647. London. 25 October 1882. col F, p. 10.
  18. "Great Western Railway" (PDF). Board of Trade. 27 August 1913. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  19. Ministry of Transport (28 December 1967). "Report on the Collision that occurred on 11th January 1967 at St. Anne's Park, Bristol" (PDF). Her Majestey's Stationery Office. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  20. "Report on the Derailment that occurred on 25 August 1974 at Dorchester West" (PDF). Railway Inspectorate, Department of the Environment. Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 20 November 1975. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  21. Department of Transport (6 May 1988). "Report on the Collision that occurred on 24th March 1987 at Frome" (PDF). Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  22. Vaughan, Adrian (2003) [2000]. Tracks to Disaster. Hersham: Ian Allan. pp. 10–11. ISBN   0-7110-2985-7.
  23. "Derailment of two locomotives at East Somerset Junction 10 November 2008" (PDF). Rail Accidents Investigation Branch. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  24. "Train hits van on level crossing". BBC News Online. 13 November 2008. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  25. "Train derails at Westbury causing rail delays". BBC News Online. 6 December 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  26. "Weymouth rail services delayed by fire under train". BBC News Online. 24 January 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  27. "Somerset freight train derailment causes '48 hour blockage'". BBC News Online. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  28. "Wiltshire-Somerset train services restored after derailment". BBC News Online. Retrieved 25 March 2017.

Bibliography