DORSET Council is calling for Government intervention over rail service cuts amid fears Dorset's tourist economy could be derailed by a newly reduced timetable.

As reported, rail operator South Western Railway (SWR) has slashed services on the Weymouth to London Waterloo line to just one train per hour. Previously there was a twice-hourly service. A temporary

Meanwhile, the last train from Waterloo has also been axed, and a ‘seaside special’ which runs through Gillingham and Sherborne to Weymouth, is to disappear altogether.

The moves have been slammed as "not acceptable or appropriate" by Dorset Council's portfolio holder for travel councillor Ray Bryan, who is now calling for Government intervention amid concerns that the cuts will

In a recent letter to Chris Heaton-Harris MP, Minister of State at the Department for Transport (DfT), cllr Bryan raised concerns about the impact upon visitors to the Dorset coast this summer.

Cllr Bryan wrote: "We are writing to express our concerns about the much-reduced rail service in Dorset provided by South Western Railway.

"Prior to the pandemic we had two trains per hour (tph) running between Weymouth and Waterloo, one fast, one stopping. During the pandemic this was reduced to one tph plus a shuttle between Weymouth and Bournemouth to allow connection to other services. This has now been reduced to one tph between Weymouth and Waterloo.

"We are sympathetic to this as a temporary measure whilst the rail industry recovers after what has been a period of turbulence in unprecedented times - we do not consider it to be appropriate or acceptable in the longer term."

Cllr Bryan said the council anticipates "higher than average" levels of tourism in Dorset this summer as UK holidaymakers decide against foreign travel.

He added: "We are concerned that the reduced rail service will mean that more tourists will resort to travelling to Dorset by car, something that does not match with the national commitment to reducing traffic in both the Dorset Council area and also the much wider area in order to meet the local and central government’s national climate emergency agenda.

"Getting cars and trucks off the road is essential to both our objectives: reducing services at a time when we have the opportunity to persuade people there are alternative ways to travel is counter productive. We are happy to work with all forms of public transport to find ways of improving footfall."

And concerns were also raised about the impact upon local commuters:

Cllr Bryan said: "We are extremely perturbed by the effect this could have on our economy by reducing the opportunity for our residents to access employment, education and healthcare provision in the Bournemouth Christchurch Poole conurbation.

"As a local authority we are very supportive of rail services within Dorset by encouraging new residential and employment developments to be sited close to the railway and our active participation in Community Rail Partnerships to increase patronage of the railway.

"We are also working with Network Rail on their Dorset Strategic Study so as to identify the infrastructure improvements necessary to achieve long held aspirations of a Dorset Metro service (a higher frequency shuttle service across the wider South East Dorset area), amongst other improvements, which would mean additional rail services in the Dorset Council area.

"As a matter of urgency, we would ask you to reconsider the current plans and at least give us the level of rail services provided over the past few months as a temporary measure before reinstating the two trains per hour as soon as possible."