THE Swanage Railway is in talks with Train Operating Companies about running its debut services to Wareham, which are due to start in June 2017.
However, concerns have been expressed with the delayed delivery of two heritage DMU sets, currently being overhauled and upgraded at Eastleigh, and financed with the aid of a £1.47 million grant from the Government’s coastal Communities Fund.
Swanage Railway Company chairman Trevor Parsons said: “The Swanage Railway Trust is wholly supportive of the extensive preparatory work successfully completed and the delivery of a trial train service to Wareham by the Swanage Railway Company.
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“The trust routinely reviews progress by the company on what is a very challenging and trail-blazing project that has been a long-held aim of the Swanage Railway after British Rail closed the line in 1972.
“The Swanage Railway Trust and the Swanage Railway Company remain fully committed to delivering a trial train service to Wareham.”
He added: “The Swanage Railway is disappointed with the continuing delays in the delivery back to the railway of the two diesel multiple units that have to be extensively refurbished and upgraded to exacting main line standards before they can run to Wareham.
“The Swanage Railway Company remains determined to deliver a trial train service to Wareham of 60 days in 2017 and is examining options to do this in collaboration with a number of charter train suppliers.”
No specific date in June for the first of the two-year trial trips from Swanage to Wareham has yet been set.
Read more News in Issue 223 of Heritage Railway
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