Britain's longest heritage railway may join mainline

The West Somerset Railway line runs for 20 miles (32km) between Bishops Lydeard and Minehead

The heritage railway line between Bishops Lydeard and Minehead could one day be connected to mainline rail services in Taunton.

A new business case to reconnect the West Somerset Railway line with Taunton's Great Western Railway has been finalised - with around £6m being sought for various improvements.

Currently, the line goes between Bishops Lydeard and Minehead via coastal towns and villages Watchet, Blue Anchor, Dunster and Williton.

Retired Network Planner, David Northey, said the business case will look at reconnecting Bishop’s Lydeard to Taunton "one stage at a time" with a "modest investment" of around £6m to upgrade elements of the signalling and infrastructure, and to pay for operating the services.

There was a trial attempt at reconnecting Taunton and Bishop’s Lydeard in 2019

At a recent meeting in Bridgwater, Councillor Richard Wilkins, portfolio holder for transport and digital, said: “Regarding the railway line which links Taunton to Minehead, we are working with local interest groups who are developing a business case for a rail link between Taunton railway station and Bishop’s Lydeard.

“This has been endorsed by Peninsula Transport. There are currently no proposals for a link beyond this, as the line is managed and operated by the West Somerset Railway.”

While West Somerset Railway services currently terminate at Bishop’s Lydeard, there is an additional station on the line leading to Taunton, on the outskirts of Norton Fitzwarren.

Retired Network Rail planner David Northey said: "Any connecting service between the two stations could end up calling at Norton Fitzwarren in the future, providing additional transport options for the new residents and additional custom for the heritage service."

'It's a real balance'

Mr Northey said: "The main obstacle to returning mainline services beyond Bishop’s Lydeard was the light railway order which was currently in place on the line. There’s a maximum speed of 25mph under the light railway order, but the principles of running a railway are the same."

He added: “If you can get a regular service between Bishop’s Lydeard and Taunton, there are options to look at extending to Minehead on peak days when the West Somerset railway doesn’t operate, such as Butlin’s changeover days on Mondays and Fridays.

“We have real problems on the bus network and road network, and even if we only ran the train at 25mph (40km/ph) it’s still far better and quicker than the bus journey.

He added: "It’s a real balance between preserving the heritage and meeting modern transport needs.”