BP to fund crucial Swanage Railway level crossing (From Dorset Echo)

BP to fund crucial Swanage Railway level crossing

12:30pm Monday 13th February 2012 in News

A DREAM to run regular trains from a Dorset branch on to the main line is one step closer to reality.

Oil giant BP says it will pay for a crucial £500,000 level crossing on the Swanage Railway.

The crossing near Norden is required before regular trains can run between Swanage and the railway network at Wareham – currently they only run to Norden.

The donation from BP comes after it sold its majority shareholding in the Wytch Farm oilfield in Purbeck to Perenco. The other major improvement needed before trains can run to Wareham is a £3million re-signalling project at Worgret Junction on main line which is due to be completed by May 2013.

Volunteers at the Swanage Railway have been working with councils, Perenco and train companies to re-establish a regular train service from Swanage to Wareham.

Swanage Railway chairman Peter Sills said: “This is a very kind and generous legacy act by BP which means that regular trains are closer to running between Swanage, Corfe Castle and Wareham for the first time since 1972.”