Swanage Railway launches Wareham DMU trial service
Railway has launched its summer trial of services through to Wareham using first-generation diesel multiple units.
The 90-day trial, using a threecoach Class 117 DMU (consisting of vehicles W51356, W59486 and W51388) and supplemented by a Class 121 single car unit (W55028), provides a direct rail link from South Western Railway’s Wareham station to the popular heritage railway.
It is operating Tuesdays to Thursdays and Saturdays until September 9, with the Class 117 expected to be the mainstay of the services, which are being crewed and operated by West Coast Railways. A Swanage Railway conductor driver and conductor guard are required to accompany the WCR staff.
The new service only operates over Network Rail for the first mile of the journey out of Wareham to Worgret Junction, and then goes onto the heritage railway for the rest of the 11-mile route.
On April 4, the first day of services, the 11.19 first train from Wareham was waved off by the town’s mayor, Coun Malcolm Russell. He was also on hand to welcome the mayor of Swanage, Coun Tina Foster, when she arrived at Wareham after travelling on the first train from Swanage.
The timetable allows visitors travelling from Wareham to spend up to four hours in Swanage or the popular town of Corfe Castle, although Swanage Railway advises that the timetable is subject to change on special event days.
Ticket prices are £10 for an adult return from Wareham to Corfe Castle and £5 for child returns. For the full journey through to Swanage, the fare from Wareham is £25 for adults and £12.50 for children.
Although unavailable in time for the start of the trial, from the end of April, tickets for the Wareham service will also be available from main line South Western Railway, allowing passengers to buy add-on tickets for Corfe Castle and Swanage. The two DMUS offer a total seating capacity of almost 300, although the Class 121 is only expected to be added to the Class 117 on busier days.
Both trains have undergone extensive works to make them suitable for operation on Network Rail metals and are now fitted with the mandatory safety equipment required.
A number of the doors on the train have been sealed out of use, while the remaining operational doors are now fitted with central door locking, and the droplight windows can only be lowered slightly to prevent any passengers being able to lean out of the train while it is in motion. However, the modifications have not affected the atmosphere or feel of the heritage vehicles; the most obvious sign of a change is the bodyside LED orange marker lights applied in connection with the fitting of central door locking to the trains.
The two trains are maintained and serviced by the Swanage Railway at Corfe Castle.
During the summer of 2017, a 60-day trial service from Wareham was promoted by the Swanage Railway using hired-in diesel locomotives and coaches operated and staffed by West Coast Railways. Plans to operate a second series of trains in 2018 were delayed, with further trials subsequently postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
It was also decided to postpone further trials in 2022 due to delays in completing the railway’s submission to the Office of Rail and Road for permission to run the trains and main line passenger numbers having not returned to pre-covid levels.