Residents in Radstock are being invited to a special meeting this Thursday, 21st July to discuss their ideas or concerns, should a rail project go ahead in the town. The North Somerset Railway Company is particularly keen to hear from residents that are now living in the new houses on the Norton Radstock Regeneration land and in Meadow View, who would be near neighbours to any kind of new rail development.

While many thought that the NRR plans would never go ahead, the same has been said of dreams to reconnect the rail link from Radstock to Frome, and rail professionals believe that now is the time to capitalise on the changing face of the town before the opportunity is lost forever. Whilst there is not a lot of extra cash floating around these days, there are new opportunities on the horizon, with the Government keen to devolve powers to local authorities and their communities. Should the Devolution deal, which is being consulted upon at the moment, go ahead, this could also open the door to future avenues of funding or investment in local areas, such as Radstock, which saw its last freight train leave the town around 28 years ago.

On Monday evening, Radstock Town Councillors were presented with Dovetail Games’ Train Simulator journey from the town to Frome, by North Somerset Railway Company Operations Director, Olly Wise, from Midsomer Norton, who is a DMU Fleet Engineer for Great Western Railway. Mr Wise explained that the simulation, launched in March and costing the company £11,000, uses satellite navigation systems, Google Earth and gradient profile and computer modelling to show what the line could look like in future.

The NSRC is currently in talks with all local stakeholders affected by the plans, before it decides where the Transport Works Order Transfer will be applied to, costing £50,000. This would allow the company to lease or purchase the land needed from Rail Paths Limited, which is closely affiliated to Sustrans, a charity working to encourage people to travel by foot, bike or public transport and with whom careful negotiations are being made. Their endeavours are also being supported by Somer-Rail, a group who have also been involved with the dedicated restoration of Midsomer Norton South Station at Silver Street.

The scheme for Radstock would have to be completed in phases, with the aim of generating interest and driving up patronage and grant funding, commencing at Mells Road to Mells, with preparatory works in the Radstock area and the hope of linking up in 2018 – with the main goal of a line from Radstock to Frome by 2025.

A non-stop journey averaging 40 mph would take a projected ten minutes, with a stop at Kilmersdon and Mells Road included, taking 13 minutes. The track would be upgraded to a category three specification, which would see a standard maximum speed of travel at around 50 mph. Whilst heritage rail is often limited to around 25 mph, this is part of the plan to add commercial interest to the line. Speaking at the meeting, Mr Wise said: “Franchise is very much the key as to what will drive this service – the Department of Transport is definitely looking to achieve closer working relationships with Heritage Rail across the country.” The example was given of the Swanage railway, which travels to Wareham and the opportunity to send the Radstock to Frome line even further to places such as Westbury or even Cardiff. The railway could also provide a freight route to help the local quarries upscale production. Mr Wise added that “there are a multitude of options available that are not nailed down, but are part of an ongoing dialogue with all local stakeholders on what the community would like to see.”

He further reported that recent presentations to Frome Town Council and Kilmersdon and Mells Parish Councils had been well received, with potential to build a station at Kilmersdon and an option to recreate something with a heritage feel at Mells. He said the plans would be “great for local employment” and that whilst the simulation had been a large investment, downloads from the app alone had seen them recoup half of their costs, such has been the interest.

But what about the cost of such a grand scheme? The NSRC hopes to access strategic funding projects as it works its way along the route, potentially accessing money from sources such as the Heritage Lottery, the new local Enterprise Zone, possible freight funding and other grants. Commenting on the much discussed and debated over the years Halcrow report, which estimated the project cost at £42 million, Mr Wise said the NSRC believed it would be “significantly less than that”, estimating up to £2 million, using volunteer professionals to bring the cost down. They have so far saved thousands alone on producing surveys and reports themselves. He said: “Speaking on behalf of someone who works in the industry, we want to give something back to the community that doesn’t necessarily have the skills to make this happen. We are dedicating our time for something positive – this is Radstock’s twilight time for rail, and it really is make or break now, otherwise it will be lost forever, and it is likely what is left of the track will be completely removed.”

Once the NSRC has applied for the Transport Works Order Transfer, the negotiations for land could take around six to eight months, providing everything goes smoothly and there are no major objections, which could delay the project and add extra cost. Mr Wise said: “At the moment, it is really important for us to understand what residents want. For towns like Swanage, the railway has brought nothing but benefit, but we need to know if this railway is wanted before we invest more.”

Radstock’s Town Councillors voted unanimously to support the Transport Works Order, having been given the opportunity to ask questions. Cllr Chris Dando said: “It is important to acknowledge the work that has gone into this so far. I am very keen that we develop the plans and may it be the first step in a long journey into bringing rail back to Radstock. Whilst the Town Council doesn’t have a lot of money to give away, in terms of enthusiasm, we are behind you – let’s hope that we can speed things up.”

The meeting for residents to express their views and ask questions takes place at Radstock Methodist Church this Thursday, at 7.30 p.m. and readers who would like to watch the simulation, but who cannot attend the meeting, can do so by downloading the app at: http://store.steampowered.com/app/325993