CAMPAIGNERS are furious after Weymouth and Dorchester was left out of a multi-million pound upgrade of the railways.

Weymouth-Waterloo operator South West Trains has agreed a £50 million package of benefits with the government that will see additional seats, more and faster services, and better facilities.

It comes under an amendment to the current franchise agreement between Stagecoach Group and Department for Transport. The agreement means millions of pounds worth of passenger improvement initiatives will be introduced between now and February 2017. But there will be no improvements to the network west of Poole.

The lack of any improvements in south Dorset was raised in Parliament yesterday by MP Richard Drax.

Campaigners have long pushed for faster and more efficient services from Weymouth to London to boost the economy. Currently the fastest train, without a buffet until Bournemouth, takes just under 2 hours 45 minutes.

Trains between Weymouth and Poole run with fewer carriages and are slower than in other areas due to power restrictions.

Portland-based travel writer Geoff Moore said the area had a 'third rate' rail service.

He said: "South Dorset cannot develop and expand like other areas because of the inability to travel quickly and efficiently to and from London. We remain in a backwater and don't stand a chance of developing without the proper infrastructure in place.

"You can get from Exeter to London 20 minutes quicker, and Exeter is 50 miles west of here."

Green Party parliamentary candidate for South Dorset Jane Burnet claimed South Dorset has been left out once again.

She said: “The so called 'enhanced customer services' includes a number of gimmicks like 'mystery shoppers' and more marketing while we still see the cheapest fares for tickets bought online which excludes many older travellers.

“The rest of the planned £50m is being targeted at the suburban routes around London and, yet again, South Dorset residents are left on the periphery, away from the potential benefits of this investment.”

Campaigners were also left disappointed that the upgrading of the line from a single to a dual rail between Dorchester and Moreton missed out.

Dorchester Town Councillor Tim Harries said: “It’s disappointing because they’ve been planning to dual line it from Dorchester to Moreton for a long time.

“We can all see the resurgence in Dorchester going on around us and what a destination it is for people now. The more people we can get here the better."

South Dorset MP, Richard Drax, pledged to try and get the companies to invest in the upgrades and also raised the issue at Prime Minister’s Questions.

Mr Drax said: “What I’m looking at with South West Trains and with Network Rail is to see if we can do something to improve the train times between Weymouth and Waterloo.”

“What we need to try and do is get that last bit of investment. We are looking forward and doing the best we can."

Labour parliamentary candidate for South Dorset Simon Bowkett said: “The franchise extension is only good news for shareholders – and certainly not for commuters and travellers who have seen a twenty-five per cent increase in their fares while we are now going to have at least another four years of a slow, inadequate service. This is a huge opportunity missed."

He described Richard Drax’s attempts to secure the funding for the area as ‘too little too late.’

A spokesman for South West Trains-Network Rail Alliance said: "We are firmly committed to delivering improvements for all passengers and recognise that passengers travelling from Weymouth would benefit from faster journey and more trains.


"There are a number of schemes proposed within the Wessex route study that could help to address these issues, but as our railway is at full capacity the priority is to lengthen trains, and use all the existing pathways, and also continue to work with local MPs, the county and borough bouncils as well as other stakeholders to look at improvements to help to make Weymouth a more attractive destination by rail for visitors, tourists and businesses from within the region and from further afield."  

SOUTH Dorset MP Richard Drax raised the issue at yesterday’s Prime Minister’s Questions.

He told PM David Cameron: “Can I congratulate my right honourable friend and the Department for Transport for the securing of the £50 million rail investment scheme on South West Trains which feeds my constituency.

“However, we still need better infrastructure, additional track flyovers and power supply if we’re to get longer trains and faster journey times to Weymouth and Portland. Will my right honourable friend meet with me to discuss this further?”

Mr Cameron replied: “Always happy to meet with my honourable friend and discuss these issues. I believe this government has done right by the South West and not least with the announcement the transport secretary has made of an additional 57,000 seats on South West Trains every week from December, 1,400 extra car parking spaces at train stations across the region.

“We can only have this strong transport investment not just in the South West because we have a long term economic plan that is delivering the growth this country needs.”