SWANAGE NETWORK RAIL BOUNDARY MOVED
Published at 00:00 on Saturday 18th October 2014
Tags: Swanage, Network Rail
South West Trains Class 159 unit No. 159015 waits at Wareham for departure with a passenger service to Swanage on 26th March 2013. This was one of two demonstration services in partnership with the Swanage Railway to run through to the heritage railway. Peter Milford
An historic step forward towards a trial train service to Wareham has been taken with the volunteer-led Swanage Railway dismantling its old boundary connection with the national railway system.
The removal of two track points and signalling equipment at Motala – between Furzebrook and Norden – marks the start of the Swanage Railway's year-long upgrading of three miles of newly acquired line from Motala to near Worgret Junction.
Last month, the Swanage Railway signed an historic 99-year lease with Dorset County Council after the three miles of line – formerly owned by Network Rail – passed to the county authority.
The new boundary between the Swanage Railway and the national railway system near Worgret Junction is now protected by a new Network Rail signalling system and is marked by notices.
