A LOCAL transport group has thrown its support behind the campaign to establish a community railway in Bridport. The West Dorset Western Area Transport Action Group (WATAG) held its Annual General Meeting recently in which it discussed a number of topics, including Bridport Branch Renewal Corridor project which plans to build a narrow gauge passenger railway from West Bay to Maiden Newton. The group is planning to undertake a full feasibility study for its plans in the near future, something WATAG fully supports. Bob Driscoll, chairman of WATAG, said: A number of us were invited to the Zoom presentation and were very impressed. We have decided that WATAG will support the plan, and feel it works well with Dorset Council’s zero carbon aspirations.
WATAG supports Bridport railway scheme | Bridport and Lyme Regis News bridportnews.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bridportnews.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A PLAN to resurrect a railway in Bridport has sparked debate across the town – and the group behind the project are thrilled with the feedback so far. As reported in the Bridport News last week, a group has put forward an idea for a sustainable rail link involving a tram-like train running along the route of the old West Bay to Maiden Newton branch. The people behind the Bridport Branch Renewal Corridor scheme believe it should be considered in discussions about future transport solutions. The project is still very much in its infancy and the group is seeking £50,000 so they can undertake a full feasibility study.
It s been almost half a century since trains ran from Bridport, and the branch line from West Bay to Maiden Newton is now only a memory. But a group is now trying to resurrect the line with a new idea for a sustainable railway link. It s a monumental task – the costs would be astronomical and much of the former branch line route, especially through Bridport, has been built on. The line was pulled up in 1975 and little trace of it remains in some places. But the group strongly believes its zero carbon public transport scheme involving a tram-like train on a narrow gauge line should be considered in discussions about future transport solutions, and they want to involve the community and see what support there is for the plan.