Council accused of ‘undermining’ new bus link to busy Somerset station
Somerset Council has been accused of “undermining” a new bus service to one of the county’s busiest railway stations before a new trial has even got under way.
Castle Cary railway station serves more than 354,000 passengers per year across a large rural area, with many communities relying on the private car to reach the station owing to limited public transport.
Glastonbury TrainLink has been campaigning for a new bus service to run between the town and the railway station via Pilton and Shepton Mallet, submitting a bid through the Somerset Bus Partnership for £150,000 to cover the cost of running the service for at least six months.
Somerset Council committed in early April that the service would commence “imminently”, once it has ensured that the new timetables from Great Western Railway (GWR) will line up with the planned bus times.
But Glastonbury TrainLink has now accused the council of “ignoring the evidence that we have collected”, neglecting the very communities the route is supposed to serve.
Nick Hall, speaking on behalf of the Glastonbury TrainLink Trust, delivered a scathing verdict on the council’s approach when the full council met in Bridgwater on Wednesday afternoon (May 20).
He said: “We were initially encouraged by the council’s commitment to commence a trial bus service by the end of June, bringing funding to our part of the county.
“However, it is now clear that Somerset Council has chosen to fund their preferred route.
“This route winds through Street, past Butleigh Post Office and onto Keinton
Mandeville. The service is also augmented with the Somerton Slinky bus to provide services to Somerton and Langport.
“The council is going ahead without our involvement. It has chosen to focus on the needs of Street, Somerton and Langport – ignoring the evidence that we have collected.
“The council argues that it will serve a greater number of people, but apparently without any market research.
“This choice does not provide Glastonbury with a fast, direct and reliable link to the railway station, to support the visitor economy as well as local needs.”
Mr Hall claimed that the council had only engaged with his organisation since April 24, while the trust had been working on the proposed route for “months if not years”.
He elaborated: “Why undermine the community’s work, when you could have supported it?
“Communities and businesses along our proposed route through Pilton, Cannard’s Grave and the Bath and West Showground are crying out for this service.
“We intend to continue to promote this route from Glastonbury and request that the council assists us with technical support, grant applications and perhaps even nominal funding.
“Glastonbury, arguably Somerset’s most important tourist centre, is still waiting for the innovative and ambitious ‘TrainLink’ service that it, and Somerset, needs.”
Further information about the Glastonbury TrainLink project can be found by visiting www.glastonburytrainlink.org.
Councillor Richard Wilkins, portfolio holder for highways and transport, said that including Street on the route was essential to getting high patronage for the trial, making it more likely that the service would become permanent.
Mr Wilkins (who represents the Curry Rivel and Langport division) said: “We recognise the desire for a transport link to Glastonbury to Castle Cary railway station – and that it why we are providing this new service.
“It is important to stress that we need to provide the best value for the available funding we have, and therefore it’s not possible to serve all the requested calling points.
“We have looked closely at the Glastonbury TrainLink proposals, and our primary concern is that the proposed route has significant limitations in terms of potential users.
“To ensure that the trial service has the best chance of success, we believe that it needs to operate via Street to attract visitors from Clarks Village and Glastonbury, and to widen the catchment area by providing a peak commuter journey to and from the Langport and Somerton area to Castle Cary railway station, using our digital Slinky bus service.
“In addition to this, during the day, local residents in the Langport and Somerton area will also be book journeys on the digital Slinky service, to connect with the new bus service at Keinton Mandeville for onward travel to and from the railway station.
“We have listened to the request, and and have delivered what we believe is the best possible solution, while balancing the need to attract as many passengers as possible by widening the catchment area, gaining support from both Clarks Village and GWR to help promote the services.
“This is a trial, and we need to get passengers on this service to ensure that it is a success.”