Later this month, Great Western Railway (GWR) services on the Heart of Wessex Line between Dorchester and Weymouth will be disrupted due to track renewal work.
On Sunday, 17 March, there will be no Great Western Railway services between Yeovil Pen Mill and Weymouth.
Services will terminate at Yeovil Pen Mill, from where rail replacement bus services will operate to Weymouth. South Western Railway (SWR) trains will run to Weymouth on Sunday, 17 March as normal.
On Sunday, 17 March, rail replacement buses are also planned to replace trains on South Western Railway services between Wareham and Bournemouth.
From Monday, 18 to Wednesday, 20 March there will be no Great Western Railway services between Dorchester West and Weymouth or South Western Railway from Dorchester South to Weymouth.
Great Western Railway services will terminate at Dorchester West and South Western Railway services will terminate at Dorchester South. Rail replacement buses for Great Western Railway and South Western Railway services to Weymouth will both operate from Dorchester South.
Further information about travel arrangements during this period can be found at GWR.com/Wessex.
Jordan Welsby, GWR Station Manager for Westbury, Wiltshire and Dorset, said: “This improvement work forms part of an ongoing programme of maintenance, helping to ensure that we can continue to provide consistent and reliable services.
“On Sunday 17 March, GWR will provide rail replacement services between Yeovil Pen Mill and Weymouth stopping at Dorchester West only or stopping at all stations.
“Importantly, from Monday 18 to Wednesday 20 March, no replacement buses will stop at Dorchester West station, so customers should use Dorchester South instead.
“SWR will be running replacement buses between Dorchester South, Upwey and Weymouth and has agreed to accept GWR customers on its services.
“Replacement buses at Dorchester South pick-up or drop-off in the station forecourt area off Copper Street, a 10 to 15-minute walk from Dorchester West.
“However, these alternative travel arrangements will make journey times longer, so please check before you travel during these dates.
Chris Bailey, Network Rail's project manager, said: “These works are essential for us to carry out as they will improve reliability of the railway for customers travelling in and around Dorchester and Weymouth.
“We're grateful to customers and local residents living alongside the railway for their patience and understanding while we continue carrying out this important work.”
I gave up on trying to get to Dorset by train about 6 years ago. GWR’s treatment of intending passengers is nothing new. The lack of conectivity between the former Great Western line from Yeovil Pen Mill to Weymouth and the Southern line from Exeter to Waterloo at Yeovil Junction is a joke and the lack of a proper link between the stations in Dorchester is also a joke.
I am incredulous that GW is providing no road transport at all from Dorchester West over three days, expecting passengers to walk for 15 minutes to Dorchester South for a bus to Weymouth. How can elderly disabled or luggage-encumbered people be expected to do that? They could have a taxi on all-day standby to ferry people on demand, or they could provide a bus to Weymouth but this cavalier treatment of customers shows no commitment to customer service at all.
It’s not surprising
GW services ( when running) are every two hours !!!!
Useless
Why not one train an hour and longer trains ?
As for rail replacement bus service from Dorchester West while engineering works go on good luck with that
Heart of Wessex line is treated like an after thought