fawley revival

(All copyright Steve Sainsbury - 22.3.1975)

The return of passenger trains to a freight-only branch line in Hampshire has moved a step closer. A viability study for the re-introduction of services to Hythe has been approved by Hampshire County Council.

Following completion of a Grip2 study, which established a business case for using the line beside Southampton Water, the council will undertake a technical study to identify the infrastructure that would be needed, calculate passenger demand and assess how it could be funded. The line would serve Totton, Hounsdown, Marchwood and Hythe.

Passenger services ended on the line in 1966. It remains lightly used by freight trains to the military port at Marchwood and the oil refinery at Fawley. The case for re-opening the line is based on providing an hourly shuttle between Hythe and Southampton Central, with a 23-minute journey time. The Grip3 study will start this spring.

This is an interesting development. I visited this line on a Branch Line Society tour back in 1975. Fawley itself is quite small but Hythe is bigger. There should be a fair amount of originating traffic from the three towns en route. Commuting will be made far easier. This line was not even iopened until 1925 and was technically a light railway although promoted by the Southern Railway. Freight traffic is mainly from the refinery at Fawley, but there was a military line at Marchwood which may still exist. This line was part of the itinary on the BLS tour but thanks to the IRA we couldn't travel on this line! So there was other freight traffic.

This line is fortunate in that it has stayed open for freight, which makes reopening so much easier. But if we can justify trains to Hythe, Marchwood and Fawley how on earth can we resist trains to Blandford, Norton-Radstock, Shepton Mallet and Wells?

I can't wait to travel on this route again!