North Somerset Railway - any news?

[Ashley Hill]

Developments on the Frome - Radstock line seem to have gone quiet. Their website news page hasn't been updated since Aug 2019. Does anyone know if anything happening?

 

[swanhill41]

Finally died?.From memory when I lived in Somerset in 1990's it was never a healthy scheme?

 

[Ashley Hill]

I hope it hasn't died. I seem to remember a battle with Sustrans some years ago. There's a clip on You Tube of a motorised trolley being tested in the line pre-C19. I cannot link it as my ancient device no longer supports the app.

 

[Bessie]

It must have died. Centre of Radstock had a new housing development a few years back. Local enthusiasts are better off supporting the nearby SDJR at Midsomer Norton or East Somerset Railway at Cranmore. You can visit Radstock North Signal Box at Didcot Railway Centre

 

[Parham Wood]

I do not know the status of this project but provision was made to leave a single track in situe when the housing estate was built in Radstock. The line no longer extends to the old GWR station but stops only a little short of it. I have always doubted how realistic this would be. The line passes through no settlements of any size, just a couple of villages a medium walk away. The track is in situe but would need total replacement until the quarry line joins and there are trees growing in it now. The cord into Frome no longer exists and has houses built on the route. There is difficulty with keeping a bus service going from Radstock to Frome so rail I think has no chance at the moment, car is king for most. Maybe if environmental reasons cause a decline in the ability to use cars it may have a better chance. I do not think there is space anywhere for much railway infrastructure to support a heritage railway so it would have to be a national rail type operation.

 

[Gloster]

Having lived in the area, I would say that Radstock is rather more turned towards Bath, as is Frome. Few people are likely to want to travel between Frome and Radstock or v.v. If you could squeeze a station in behind the Cheese & Grain it would be more convenient for Frome town centre than the existing station, but what then? Do you exist on a train shuttling backwards and forwards or do you go on to Westbury and hope there will be hordes of people who will want to change there for onward destinations? This does sound like an idea on the lines of, “Here’s a line that doesn’t need too much work if we want to rebuild it: let’s rebuild it.”