Everything you need to know about plans for new Chard Parkway railway station

Chard Junction railway station served the villages south of Chard for more than 100 years before it was closed in March 1966 as part of the infamous Beeching cuts.

Somerset County Council stated in late-July that it had “no firm plans” to reopen the station, adding that it could cost around £60,000 just for an initial study to see if it would be viable.

But local county councillor Connor Payne is not taking ‘no’ for an answer, and is pushing forward with proposals for a ‘parkway’-style station on the site with the help of nearby businesses.

Here’s everything you need to know about what is being proposed:

Where is Chard Junction?

The former station lies on the mainline between London Waterloo and Exeter St. David’s, a short distance from the village of Tatworth and mere metres from the Dorset border.

The station uses to provide a direct link to Chard via a branch line, but this was also scaled back and closed in the mid-1960s, with Chard Central railway station being turned into retail outlets and much of the trackbed on to Ilminster now forming the Stop Line Way cycle route.

The line is currently served by South Western Railway, which runs hourly services in each direction stopping at Crewkerne and Axminster.

The site also lies near the Chard Junction Quarry, which is operated by Aggregate Industries.

The former Chard Junction railway station on Station Road near Tatworth.

What is the county council’s current position?

Councillor Mike Rigby, portfolio holder for transport and digital, stated at a full council meeting in Yeovil on July 20 that the council supported the reopening of Chard Junction in principle but had not allocated any funding in its budget for initial feasibility work.

He said: “There are currently no firm plans for a reopening of Chard Junction station.

“However, we have recently begun discussions with local representatives about the process that might be followed to build a high-level strategic and economic case for that. This would examine the current transport issues and identify whether rail is the preferred option for solving them.

“It would also examine the potential value for money that a rail solution might deliver, based on an assessment of future demand, capital and operating costs.

“I do need to make you aware of the fact that there is currently no funding identified for carrying out this work, estimated at up to £60,000, or any clear funding pathways for a new station if that’s determined to be the correct way forward.

“But it is on the radar and we are working towards those goals that I’ve set out.”

What is the plan for Chard Parkway?

Connor Payne was elected in May as one of two councillors for the Chard South division, which includes everything in Chard to the south of the A30 and the villages of Tatworth and Forton near the Chard Junction site.

Rather than simply reopening Chard Junction as a halt-style stop with occasional services, Mr Payne is pushing for a parkway station – along the lines of Bristol Parkway or Tiverton Parkway, which could serve the nearby villages and provide means of onward travel to Chard and other nearby towns.

Mark Wheaton of JB Wheaton & Sons with Councillor Connor Payne .

He said: “Typically, parkways have various business centres around them, like retail parks. We’re not being quite that ambitious, but we are looking for somewhere where there is opportunity for business development.”

Mr Payne has already secured the support of Mark Wheaton of JB Wheaton & Sons Ltd., which owns the land on the southern side of the railway line.

Following a meeting on Wednesday (August 3), Mr Payne said: “For many years Mark wanted to see a Train Station at the Chard Junction site – so much so that
he purchased the land at the site in order to protect it from housebuilding later down the line.

“He says the potential for sites on both sides of the track is limitless, and JB Wheaton & Sons are looking forward to supporting the project in a variety of ways to ensure its completion.

“Mark has already stated that he would like to re-purpose his disused land to build a car park and several small businesses, to subtract cost from the overall project, with a vision of return investment in the future.”

The owner of the former Dairy Crest site, on the northern side of the line, is said to be “extremely interested in re-purposing his land to bring investment and attract tourism”.

What kind of service would the new station have?

One of the criteria by which the DfT judges bids to open new railway stations is whether or not they will increase journey times – especially those to and from London.

In the past, efforts to reopen Chard Junction have been resisted on this basis – with some arguing that it would lead to the closure of either of the two stations around it.

Mr Payne said there were “ways around this”, either by finding additional capacity elsewhere on the line or by running a new service which could miss out some of the smaller stations between Exeter and Salisbury.

The Salisbury to Exeter Rail User Group (SERUG) has been pushing the government for years to redouble key sections of the track through Devon, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire, allowing twice as many services to run per hour in each direction.

In the shorter term, new passing loops at Crewkerne and Whimple, and a longer loop at Tisbury, could help to implement this.

In addition to delivering new passenger services, a new “freight line” could be included, allowing Chard Junction Quarry and other nearby businesses to “slim down their road operations” and cut carbon emissions in the process.

Catchment area for Chard Parkway railway station, as well as existing stations in Axminster and Crewkerne. Picture by Connor Payne.

How will people get to the station?

During the local election campaign, Mr Payne said he would fight for a shuttle bus which would travel between Chard and the station through the neighbouring villages.

He will also be speaking to Buses of Somerset about the scope for redirecting the 30 route, which already travels between Chard and Axminster via Tatworth, to serve the station.

Mr Payne said on Wednesday (August 3): “After discussions today, a local business may wish to invest in an electric shuttle bus system, timed to match the rail times, which has a circular route through Tatworth, Chard and surrounding villages at a minimal cost for customers.

“There would be several designated ‘Train Shuttle’ pick-up and drop-off locations on the circular line, in more residential areas.

In the longer run, there may be scope for extending the Stop Line Way beyond Tatworth, possibly following the route of the former railway line leading to Chard.

A new report into the future of the Stop Line Way is expected to come before South Somerset District Council’s area west committee before the end of the year.

Mr Payne concluded: “There is a wide gap between Axminster and Crewkerne (including Chard, Ilminster, Thornfalcon, Combe St Nicholas, Tatworth and more) that needs a rail connection due to the vastly increasing population.

“Over 2,200 more houses are being built in Chard, with proposals for a ring road around Chard. We have the threat of climate change, the need for greater investment in south Somerset and poor public transport.

“We are now in a position where this is a viable solution.”

What happens next – and how do I get involved?

Mr Payne will be meeting with Jonathan Roberts on August 22, to see how the campaign group RailFuture can be more closely involved in the push for the new station.

Mr Payne said: “Jonathan has over 40 years’ experience in working with clients on national, regional, and international projects and campaigns, at technical, local authority and parliamentary levels.

“He has advised transport public and private sectors, local and regional government, promoters, and developers.

“He is a long-standing adviser to RailFuture, a leading independent organisation which campaigns for an improved railway network to underpin economic growth, environmental safeguards and the well-being of communities.

“They promote effective rail freight capacity as well as improvements to principal passenger rail corridors and rail restoration schemes.”

A new board will be created to drive the station project forward, comprising local MPs Marcus Fysh (Yeovil) and Chris Loder (West Dorset) along with local councillors, officers and representatives from both Network Rail and South Western Railways.

This is expected to hold its first meeting in either September or October and begin preparing an initial business case at a cost of around £15,000, with local businesses willing to assist in the funding of this.

If this case is deemed appropriate by the Department for Transport (DfT), a second more detailed business case (costing around the £60,000 quoted by Mr Rigby) can be drawn up as part of a formal bid to the government’s restoring your railway fund.

In order to keep the board on its toes, a residents’ steering group will also be created to allow the public to have their say and feed in ideas on a regular basis, with the first meeting due to be held in late-August.

To register your interest in being part of the Chard Parkway Residents Steering Group (CPRSG), visit www.cognitoforms.com/CouncillorConnorPayne/CPRSGRegistrationForm?fbclid=IwAR34B16L2ZarnmNrM2bOxj3aCd6Yu4HCtv-KYrA8GNYXlr058ki86b1D5Qs.

If all goes well, the new station could open by 2028.