A PACKED meeting overwhelmingly backed a Minehead-Taunton rail-link proposal and welcomed a possible a trial shuttle service which could be the forerunner of a major commuter scheme.

Residents spilled out into the corridors at the Minehead Rail Link Group’s first public meeting at the Old Hospital on Tuesday, and when asked whether they wanted the link scheme to go ahead, barely a handful voted against.

Chaired by district councillor Benet Allen, the meeting was told that campaigners were anxious to work with West Somerset Railway and were completely in support of a Taunton-Bishops Lydeard shuttle trial which it was hoped to start next summer.

Chris Austin, chairman of West Somerset Steam Railway Trust and former WSR pic chairman, said that the railway was applying to the Great West Railway’s customers and community fund to help finance a trial which would link the national network with WSR next summer.

There would need to be a major campaign to market and promote the service, and it was hoped that the trial would establish the viability of the concept and provide a basis for developing the idea further.

Mr Austin said the value of the railway to the local economy was at least £12 million a year, and he had spent nearly 35 years looking at possible ways of running though-trains from private to national networks.

“Previously the stumbling block had been the lack of suitable rolling-stock, but we have now been able to overcome this problem and find a source of funding which should enable a shuttle service to be tried on a trial basis and hopefully demonstrate a community need,” he said.

“In all the years I have been involved, this project is the only practicable fundable scheme to come to the table and we all need to get behind it to turn it into reality next year.”

See the Free Press for full story