Status Operational | ||
 | ||
Type Suburban rail, Heavy rail Locale WiltshireDorsetSouth West England Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ⁄2 in) standard gauge | ||
Fgw heart of wessex line announcement 17 56 to bristol temple meads at weymouth
The Heart of Wessex Line, also known as the Bristol to Weymouth Line, is a railway line that runs from Bristol Temple Meads to Westbury to Weymouth in England. It shares the Wessex Main Line as far as Westbury and then follows the course of the Reading to Taunton Line as far as Castle Cary.
Contents
- Fgw heart of wessex line announcement 17 56 to bristol temple meads at weymouth
- Green bean 150106 hauls new heart of wessex line 150125 in to gloucester 11 02 12
- Places served
- Operator
- Rolling stock
- Community rail
- References
Green bean 150106 hauls new heart of wessex line 150125 in to gloucester 11 02 12
Places served
The cities, towns and villages served by this route are listed below:
Operator
Passenger services are currently operated by Great Western Railway and South West Trains.
Most Great Western services originate from Bristol Temple Meads or from Westbury. Some originate from towns and cities beyond Bristol such as Gloucester, Cheltenham and Great Malvern.
South West Trains operate a limited service between London Waterloo and Yeovil Junction via Castle Cary. In summer 2016 they also ran a "seaside special" service between Weymouth and Salisbury or Waterloo via Yeovil Junction.
Rolling stock
Services are provided on Sprinter diesel multiple unit trains built during the late 1980s and 1990s, typically of 2 or 3 coach Class 150, with some Class 158 trains. South West Trains services are operated by Class 159 trains.
As part of the ongoing 21st-century modernisation of the Great Western Main Line, which will see Thames Valley commuter lines electrified, Class 150 trains in Wessex are scheduled to be displaced by Class 166 trains released from the Thames Valley.
Past rolling stock has included locomotive-hauled trains, including British Railways Mark 2 coaches hauled by Class 67 used to strengthen high-demand summer Saturday services in 2008–2010 between Bristol and the seaside resort of Weymouth.[1]
Community rail
A Bristol to Weymouth Rail Partnership was created in 1998 so that local authoriites could support the line. In 2003 this was rebranded as the Heart of Wessex partnership and line. It is designated a Community rail Line.
