THE West Somerset Railway is modifying its timetable to fit in with Wednesday’s annual Minehead Summer Festival, which features a display by the world-famous Red Arrows.

To cope with the expected extra passengers, trains will leave Bishops Lydeard at 10.25am (steam), 11.05am (steam), 11.45am (diesel), 12.35pm (steam), 3pm (steam) and 4.40pm (steam).

Times from Minehead are 10.15am (steam), 12.30pm (steam), 1.20pm (calling at all stations to Williton and leaving Williton at 2.15pm to call at all stations to Minehead), 3.05pm (steam), 3.22pm (diesel to Blue Anchor only and returning from Blue Anchor at 15.39), 3.50pm (steam), 4.45pm (steam) and 5.30pm (diesel).

Passengers for the regular Dunster Castle Express will leave Bishops Lydeard at 10.25am and return from Dunster at 4.50pm, while Hestercombe Express passengers will travel on the 10.15am from Minehead and return on the 4.40pm from Bishops Lydeard.

The railway’s general manager Paul Conibeare said: “The Minehead Summer Festival is one of the major events in the West Somerset calendar and the railway has a key role in getting people to and from the town.

“We will close the station after the 12.35pm train arrives from Bishops Lydeard and we have to put a queuing system in place to ensure that passengers can be safely carried back home in the afternoon.

“We would ask passengers to be patient and accept that on this one day of the year it will be necessary to introduce this level of controlled access.”