Somerset rail line to London branded 'a disgrace' by transport campaigner
Long journey times are criticised, while the operator says it is exploring improvements
A senior transport campaigner has branded one of Somerset's main rail services "a disgrace", citing long journey times between the county and London.
South Western Railway (SWR) runs trains on the West of England line between London Waterloo and Exeter St David's. It serves the Somerset stations of Crewkerne, Yeovil Junction and Templecombe.
David Redgewell, of the South West Transport Network, criticised the line's recent performance. He argued it will undermine efforts to connect rail and bus services and lead to the South West missing out on crucial investment.
Somerset Council has said it will continue to lobby for improvements on the line. SWR has said it is exploring a number of enhancements, which could be delivered either by the company itself or as part of new housing developments.
"A disgrace"
Mr Redgewell raised his concerns at a virtual meeting of the council's bus advisory board on 13th October.
He said: "The state of the Exeter to Waterloo railway line is a disgrace - I've got to be honest.
"We're putting on all these buses to Yeovil Junction, which is great, and we're adding services to Templecombe and Sherborne - but where we are with the railway line?
"Okay, they're going to put cups of tea on the trains again, but it looks like they're taking four hours to come from Somerset to London Waterloo on what is an express line.
"We can provide all the connectivity and rail-bus lines, but if the rail service is as poor as this, we really need to understand why it's as poor as this."
Why the line is slow
The source says the line has suffered from a long history of underinvestment. Communities west of Salisbury rely on ageing diesel trains rather than more electric ones.
Much of the line between Salisbury and Exeter is single track. This means only one train per hour can run in each direction, leading to lengthy delays when a service runs late or is cancelled.
The line has also been running a reduced timetable because of soil moisture deficit. The clay track-bed has dried out excessively during summer heatwaves, limiting the top speed of trains and extending journey times to and from London.
Council response
Mike O'Dowd-Jones, Somerset Council's service director for infrastructure and transport, responded to Mr Redgewell at the meeting.
He said: "We are continuing to raise concerns about the timetabling on that line.
"We are very much supportive of efforts to seek improvements there."
South Western Railway's investment
Much of SWR's recent investment has focused on the corridor between Woking and London Waterloo.
That stretch has space for several trains per hour, carries high numbers of commuters and is fully electrified. This means the company can run newer trains there.
There are no new trains planned for Somerset and Devon, where passenger numbers between Axminster and Exeter are rising. Instead, SWR has been refurbishing its existing diesel trains with more comfortable seats, charging points and improved Wi-Fi.
What SWR has said
Oliver Rogers, SWR's strategy and business development director, spoke about the line at the TravelWatch SouthWest regional meeting in Taunton on 9th October. Mr Redgewell also attended.
Mr Rogers said: "A passing loop that we are talking about near Cranbrook is going to cost tens of millions of pounds.
"No private developer is going to be able to write a cheque for that. We absolutely expect a contribution from them, but we're going to need to make a case to the public sector as well.
"No new diesel trains will be built - anything that is built will be fully electric or 'battery electric'.
"This line is going to be a case study for the government's new rolling stock and infrastructure strategy - we've been crying out for that for a while.
"It's a question of how do we embrace it and make sure that we bring some of the benefits to this part of the world."