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Swindon to Weymouth - by train, the traditional way - 2014

Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2014-05-12 18:16:04 - Graham Ellis

The traditional day out by train from Swindon to Weymouth is once again available on Sundays from 18th May until early September. The train leaves Swindon at 09:26 (09:21 on some dates), and passengers get to Weymouth at 11:54. Returning from Weymouth at 17:56, passengers will be back in Swindon at 20:24. The adult day return fare is £16.50 (and a 34% reduction is offered for groups or 3 or more) with children aged 5 to 15 at just £8.25 and under 5s free of charge. Tickets can be bought on the day.

Older residents of Swindon will remember works trips to Weymouth from their youth, but with the closure to passengers of the direct Weymouth line in 1966, and the reduction and later closure of the Swindon works, most throught that these days at the seaside were gone for ever. However, a successful experimental train service on some summer sundays in 2011 has helped restore passenger trains all day, every day between Swindon and Westbury - the TransWilts line. Up to eight trains a day started running again last December from Swindon via Chippenham, Melksham and Trowbridge to Swindon - change for stations via Frome, Yeovil and Dorchester to Weymouth ... and the Sunday morning train has now returned too.


Weymouth has a long sandy beach, traditional funfairs and arcades, a pretty harbour, ice cream, fish and chips, boat trips, sand sculpture, Punch and Judy, open topped bus trips to Portland, Radipole lake nature reserve, the Chesil Beach, Pitch and Putt and Crazy golf, pedal boats, donkey rides and much more. Even in poorer weather you can take in the Sealife Centre, the Victorian Nothe Fort with its museum and a wide range of shops and eating and drinking places.

"I travelled to Weymouth on most Sundays in 2011" says Graham Ellis, press and publicity officer for the TransWilts Community Rail Partnership ... "it was wonderful to see everyone having a great day out, and to introduce many youngsters to travelling by train for the first time. And I never ran out of new things to see and do in Weymouth all summer"

These trains are run by First Great Western supported by Wiltshire Council via a Local Sustainable Transport Fund grant from the Department for Transport. The service of eight trains each way per day (5 to 7 on Sundays) is running under this arrangement for a period of three years and if it reaches target passenger levels it will then continue as a part of regular franchised train services in the region. Currently we're on target ... and YOU can help us stay on target, and have a mighty lot of fun at the same time.