I should like to thank the Echo for publishing my letter with regards to “Be very concerned” (Dorset Echo Have Your Say 26 April).

It referred to my observations and worries about our local railway services, since when I have also circulated local councillors.

READ THE LETTER HERE: 'I'm very concerned about rail cuts - and you should be too'

It appears to have spurred local councillors and MPs into action including a motion raised at the full council meeting of Weymouth Town Council. And I understand that meetings are being arranged with senior representatives of South Western Railway (SWR) and hopefully Great Western Railway (GWR). Dorset Echo has also played a part in reporting the developments subsequent to my letter. And it was encouraging to see the letter in the Echo (15 June) from Barry Thompson, Chairman Dorchester & District Labour Party, further endorsing the concern.

However, things do tend to go off the boil after the initial interest and support; therefore I think it is important to continue highlighting the issue. Maybe this update on my recent experience will go some way in accelerating the “campaign”.

Being a frequent traveller by train I am confronted by various situations that come to my notice including the increasing emphasis being put on Poole on destination boards at Waterloo and oral announcements stating that “this train is for Weymouth and Poole”. And I wonder why it is possible to despatch two trains each hour from Poole-Waterloo, when the Weymouth line still is restricted to just one an hour?

Last Friday my 15.20 train from Weymouth was “delayed” then cancelled, as were some earlier trains due to London problems.

There being no other trains in Weymouth, I and many others had to wait for a train to come back into Weymouth, and this didn’t depart for another hour, so eventually we departed at 16.20.

Unbelievably two trains an hour were still able to depart Poole for Waterloo!

Added to the frustration, there being no toilets on the station or nearby, I had no choice but to walk a quarter-of-a-mile for relief.

One further fact on that day is that within an hour - between Bournemouth and Southampton - I counted no less than six SWR trains heading back towards Bournemouth, while the line to Weymouth remains very poorly served with just one an hour.

We really must fight the cause from all directions, else we may well be looking back at not only the days when Weymouth enjoyed the facilities of crossChannel ferries, but also valuable main-line links on the railways.

DAVE JOHNSTON

Weymouth