Dorset Highways’ engineers are continuing to develop a programme of work to remove the disused railway tracks along Weymouth’s harbourside.
Earlier this year, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced that Dorset Council was successful in its joint bid with Network Rail for funding to dismantle and remove the rails, which run along Commercial Road and Custom House Quay.
The disused tracks currently present an ongoing hazard to all road users – particularly cyclists and motorcyclists – and their removal will reduce the number of incidents along this significant stretch of busy road.
The first phase of work is currently scheduled to start in October 2020 and will remove the rails along Commercial Road starting at Kings Street. This work will include any necessary drainage repairs and resurfacing of the road.
Cllr Ray Bryan, Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, said: “There is no getting away from the fact that this scheme will cause disruption due to its location and the scale of the works. We hope to minimise inconvenience by keeping open as much access as possible into the town to ensure businesses can continue to operate.
“The route will be closed a section at a time, between junctions wherever possible, and move in a ‘rolling’ fashion so that one section of road is reopened as another is closed.
“As the rails are in the middle of the road, the only way to remove them safely is with a road closure in place. Where needed, we’ll put in supporting temporary traffic measures on nearby roads for re-routed vehicles.”
The second phase of work will start in early 2021 and remove the rails along Custom House Quay.
Cllr Bryan continued: “The project team are also working with conservation officers to develop ideas of how best to preserve some historic elements of the Weymouth Branch Line.
“This could involve preserving a section of the track in a suitable area or some way of showing where the branch line used to be, along with information displays for visitors and residents about the history of the harbour and how it contributed to the development of the town.”
The project to remove the old Weymouth Branch Line tracks was awarded £1.137m by the Department for Transport.
‘This could involve preserving a section of the track in a suitable area or some way of showing where the branch line used to be.’
A waste of money, anybody really interestedwill be able to do the research about where the tracks used to be. I am pretty certain that the majority won’t care.
How short-sighted to remove an asset that could become a wonderful tourist attraction conecting the mainline with the quayside. Illogical reasons to remove the rails. A hazard to cyclists and motorcyclists – really? Take a look at Fleetwood wher the Blackpool tramway runs straight through a busy street with no problems. All just recently refurbished along with superb trams.
That’s my opinion which no doubt like the last one will be removed because it goes against “policy”
please do not remove the last remnants of the harbours connection with the rest of the country
these last remains of our heritage should surely be kept
i believe they should be listed
Really, it has not been a problem since they were laid, so, yet again remove history, and continue to turn Weymouth into a sister town of Yeovil, bland, boring and s….
You need to think, money, history, Just councillors spending council tax money unnecessarily, when it can be spent better elsewhere under Covid 19.
Get real
Dorset Council’s engineers will do a good job. But it is a shame for our historic artefacts to be torn up just as tourists are beginning to be aware of the curious history and function of these old rails (search YouTube for “Weymouth harbour train” to find recent additions to the historic films).
We still have a non-functional stone derrick at Portland Bill, the useless remains of a fort at Castle Cove, unproductive earthworks at Maiden Castle and out-of-date inefficient buildings littering our towns. But we like these old features. Removing the rails reduces our heritage appeal, which ultimately means visitor pounds in our pockets. Yes, we got external funds to do the work, but it is short-sighted to spend it on this.
PS – it’s not a safety issue, after all a hundred million folk today live and work in towns with active rail trams running through the streets, as once did we in the UK.
Having spent many years working in the construction industry I know how good they are at “milking “ contracts. I just hope this one doesn’t end up costing the rate payers a lot of money which we can’t afford. Personally I agree with the removal but am wary of being ripped off.
Hi DennisC, the design and construction work is being carried out internally by Dorset Highways. Where certain elements (such as materials or specialist equipment) cannot be provided in-house they will be supplied under our existing service contracts with the private sector.
Thank you. Is the project being costed before any work begins. When I get any of my work priced, I make sure that I have a firm price in place and a firm time line which has to be adhered to. If it is being handled in house, then there should be no deviation from price or time other than an improvement. Thanks again for your reply.
I am very angry about this loss of yet another of Weymouth’s assets, having previously given several thought-through options to the council (without the courtesy of any response) for using it as a tourist attraction. The line could have provided a link to the redevoped north quay… But there again, who wants to visit more empty shops and more bars and restaurants anyway?
For many people, Weymouth’s attractiveness lies in its links with the past which can still be seen today: the cast-iron Victoriana along the promenade; the town clock; the Regency terraces; the beautiful working harbour and bascule bridge; the remnants of a working railway – in the harbour particularly; and Nothe Fort. These are all unique visitor attractions (and visitors are Weymouth’s lifeblood) which set it apart from its competitors along the coast. Chip away at these and you’re removing reasons to visit. The olympics presented an opportunity to add new attractions, modern and noteworthy, to contribute to Weymouth’s future history: we got a fast road out to a huge bottleneck; a viewing platform that’s already outlived its usefulness, it seems; lasers along the prom you could barely see at night; a red pavement (washed away); and interminable roadworks. Cyclists have managed and will manage with tracks in the road – again, particularly around the harbour – just like they do in San Francisco, Manchester, Edinburgh and countless other locations around the world. For us all, they are a reminder of Weymouth’s remarkable history and I agree they should be part of a listed harbourside infrastructure at the very least.
I cannot believe such a bad decision has been made to “remove” the Weymouth Harbour Railway Lines. These could be safely mothballed at a fraction of the cost.
They are a “Gift” to a holiday destination like Weymouth, as an expanding resort – a lightweight “San Francisco” Tram system could utilise the lines that pass the main Park and Ride site and links other car parks to the town centre and the historic harbourside, A visual draw to tourists. A value, as yet, unexploited.
Long sections of the existing track have been “just tarmacked” over for years, the long parking section near the Edward – and Commercial Road where the Loop replaced a tight turn section, before the Town Bridge. and a long section on the pier, close to where ” exploratory ” work is being undertaken on the lines at £1000 + per metre! Rust prevention can now be dealt with by a low voltage connection system, used extensively on ironwork in historic buildings.
Two very comprehensive books on the “Tramway” have very detailed photographs and plans of the history and upgrading of the lines in 1939 and the 1950s – ” The Weymouth Harbour Tramway ” by John Lucking and ” The Weymouth Harbour Tramway in the Steam Era ” by Gerry Beale, both available from Weymouth Library. I would hope that these were studied prior to any decision making.
In the 1960s as a cyclist, I too have been victim to wet slippery rails. A non slip surface and a rail gap infill should have been sorted many years ago.
The Swanage Railway branch line had all its track removed many years ago, but relayed by volunteers before the land was sold and access lost. The line from Weymouth to Easton on Portland would be valuable now, and even more so when “Jurassica” opens in the future, had sections of land not been sold and cuttings filled in.
It pays to think ahead and consider all factors.
Near the museum in Swanage, along the coastal front, the position of.where the rails were, is shown by different coloured stones being used. This preserves the vital historical connection. Would this be a good compromise in Weymouth?
Hi Ralph, yes 🙂 Our project team is looking into the different ways this could be done and how best to retain the visual impression of the rails as a conservation feature.
Please don’t remove the Weymouth Harbour Railway Lines, they are an important part of our history and heritage and as such irreplaceable.
I remember as a small child travelling from London to Weymouth on this train filled with excitement and wonder about being on the train that “drove” on the road with the cars all the way to the beach.
Surely there is an amazing opportunity here to retain an important part of Weymouth’s history by using the redundant tracks as a tramway ride through the historic harbour? I am sure this would be a very popular tourist attraction. Let’s hope it’s not too late for this short sighted decision to be reversed.
Eventually when we are all living in the post Covid-19 backlash I am certain that we can find a much more deserving recipient for £1.137m than the destruction of history!
Crazy ,short sighted decisions again . What you have in Weymouth is unique , once it has gone ,you are losing your heritage roots . I traversed this line some years back from the harbour to Yeovil & back with my family and my friends sons , it was a great experience. Why you cant just leave things in situe is beyound belief . We have trams in Nottingham that traverse the streets , as many have said rails in the street, it is not the issue that stops the Nottingham system being expanded . £1m to remove absolute madness .I visited Weymouth this last summer and walked the front area to the quay For goodness sake keep you history . What about the dangers of these workmen also , endangering themselves over covid in a totally unavoidable work . Repair some potholes ,paint some lines , yellow box the tracked area.
The general feeling seems to be “what utterly feeble excuses for removal of this public asset” and “what a waste” (as one Ian Dury used to sing). I’d like to know where exactly this futile destruction fits in with “integrated transport”, “sustainability”, “less pollution” and so on, all ‘buzz-words’ used by politicians when it suits them.
London and many other places had the most excellent system of ‘rails in the road’ for the movement of people, but they were trashed by ignorant, useless councillors and government officials who climbed wholeheartedly into the pockets of the motor industry. The streets of the Capital have since then been filled with choking fumes and a 4 m.p.h. ‘moving grid-lock’, so it pays to ‘hang on to one’s rails’; in years to come private transport in town centres might be banned because of traffic jams and pollution, and rails could help out. The Weymouth Harbour Tramway could be equipped right now with ‘people-movers’ of the type already tested there, thus providing a valuable transport link for the town! I despair at the lack of imagination.