Our Rail Strategy, published in 2020, outlines a clear vision across five key themes to improve rail – choice, decarbonisation, social mobility, productivity, and growth – supported by focused objectives, the regional priorities and actions.

While the benefit cost ratio (value for money) of the Dorset Metro has come out disappointingly low this work should be viewed as a starting point and interim position. There is still great potential in the Dorset Metro proposals and it is proposed to take a multi modal corridor approach. This will capture all the benefits that an integrated public transport system could offer. Previous study work including Local Plans, the joint Dorset and Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Local Transport Plan and interlinked projects including the rural mobility pilots, Heart of Wessex Line proposals, Bus Service Improvement Plan schemes, integrated ticketing, park and ride and the Western Gateway Strategic Cycle Network and Coach Strategy will be brought in.

• Appendix A – Dorset Metro SOBC Economic Case
• Appendix B – Dorset Metro Pre-Feasibility Infrastructure Intervention Assessments – in support of SOBC
  Appendix C – Bournemouth Strategic Station Study Report
• Appendix  D – Subsequent Timetable Analysis Work
• Appendix E – Swanage to Wareham Shuttle Economic Analysis Report

Funded by the Western Gateway the Strategic Outline Business Case for half hourly services on the West of England Line between Salisbury and Yeovil has been finalised by Network Rail. There have been long standing aspirations to improve the service on this line which is currently hourly and this was one of the recommendations in Network Rails West of England Line Continuous Modular Strategic Plan in 2020. The line also suffers from significant capacity and performance constraints.

Early work identified an extended passing loop at Tisbury, a critical bottleneck on the single track section, would provide the capacity to run additional services and improve the performance and resilience of the line. Several loop options have been explored. Unfortunately all options had a low benefit cost ratio (value for money) with upfront capital costs of between £31.5m to £88.6m and train operating costs outweighing the journey time benefits generated by the proposals.

More work on the performance benefits of the loop is being undertaken by Network Rail and the impact a loop extension could have to mitigate service level reduction caused by the Soil Moisture Deficit issue on the line. So our work is very much an interim position and a first step toward a more reliable, accessible, and flexible West of England Line.

We welcome the invitation to join the new West of England Line Stakeholder Advisory Board. This is a new group set up by South Western Railway to help advise and support the rail industry in developing and promoting the plan to modernise the West of England line between Exeter and London Waterloo over the next 10-20 years.

Network Rail have investigated the potential to explore the current state of rail provision along the Heart of Wessex Line, considering the markets it serves and the potential opportunities that an enhanced 1tph service could provide along the line between Bristol and Weymouth.

Please get in touch to receive the full Strategic Outline Business Case.

Rail Officer Group (ROG)

The Rail Officer Group meets monthly to provide updates on the Western Gateway’s rail programme to officers from our nine local authorities and get their input.  Wider rail issues are discussed, which includes creating joint responses to rail industry consultations.

Community Rail Partnership

We host bi-monthly meetings with six Community Rail Partnerships in the region.  We value their innovative work on encouraging rail use for everyone.  Our meetings are two way with updates provided on the work of the Western Gateway and the Partnerships updating on their activities.  With so much happening on rail, we’re moving the frequency of meetings to every two months.

Arising from the recommended interventions from the Bristol to Birmingham Strategic Rail Study, the Western Gateway funded feasibility work on a new south facing platform at Cheltenham Spa station. The new platform brought performance, capacity and resilience benefits for the station but did flag up wider network issues. Work has been on hold whilst Network Rail’s Gloucestershire Rail Review gets underway.