Project Wareham

Has anyone told SWR?

 

As long as it will be ready for the main seasons I suppose thats the main thing.
I've got a season ticket, how do I get my ticket? any help thanks

 

The problem being though is that it will introduce a distortion into the sales figures / passenger numbers. Whilst this may be not significant in the grand scheme of things nevertheless it is a factor.

 

Do you mean a Swanage Season Ticket or an SWR one?

 

So, longer term, tickets for the Wareham to Corfe/Swanage will be able to be bought via the swr website and stations. However in the meantime does anyone know what will happen. Will SR have to bring out the portable ticket office like they did in 2017 ???

Also the SR website atm only is capable for Wareham to Swanage or the other way, not Wareham to Corfe.

I've got my SR season ticket, and it states I have to buy a ticket before hand (to count numbers I guess), so......... Ill have to buy it on the day from somewhere??

 

As has been stated previously, the location used by the Swanage Railway ticket "caravan" in 2017 at Wareham Station, is now occupied by bike racks. Whether a new location can be found / has been agreed I do not know. IIRC in 2017 there were some issues with SRC using a portable generator to provide electricity to power the lap tops ticket printers etc.

You CAN book Wareham to Corfe Castle on the SRC website. Select Wareham > Swanage , the date and time and then in a drop down menu you can choose Wareham > Corfe Castle.

Unfortunately it does not appear to give this option in the opposite direction ie Corfe Castle to Wareham.

I presume there would be a TTI on the platform at Wareham (possibly having got off the up train) who can issue a nil value ticket for travel or alternatively on the train itself as no payment is required.

It is crucial that those with Premier Life Memberships and other forms of season tickets which do not require purchase (ie payment) for the specific journey do obtain a nil value ticket so that passenger numbers are recorded as accurately as possible to help gauge the demand for the service.

 

I can see why the railway may want to track numbers, but not having had a season ticket since before Covid I am unsure of the rules now anyway. My dad has one, although since he broke his hip in August he is unable to use it, but apparently he was twice told at Swanage he had to get a ticket before travel, but all the other times he just showed his card. In the years I had one pre Covid I was never asked to get a ticket.
Of course unless season tickets are always going to be accepted on any ongoing service in subsequent years it may well skew the journey numbers.

 

It is my understanding that it has been a requirement for Premier Life Members (PLM) and other season ticket holders to get a ticket (either from the ticket office or from the TTI onboard) for a considerable number of years but this rule is not enforced (and some TTIs seem unaware of the need to issue a nil value ticket) hence the varying experience reported. Whilst under recording of passenger numbers may be inconsequential on the core Swanage <> Norden section, IMHO it is very important in recording the demand for the Wareham service. Let it not be forgotten that many many years ago (early 1990s?) under Operation Millstone the advantage of being able to travel to / from Wareham was promoted heavily as an advantage of becoming a PLM and was a key factor in generating the cash from selling premier life memberships that ultimately saved Swanage Railway from oblivion.

 

All valid, but the existence of demand that will not contribute to operating costs is of questionable value now.


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Yes indeed, one could argue that Premier Life Memberships sold as a result of Operation Millstone were a form of pre-payment for future travel but of course those moneys have long since been spent on keeping the railway in business and thus there is no residual value remaining.

IMHO and I stress it is just my opinion there is very little demand for public transport by rail between the towns of Swanage and Wareham by local residents. Such demand as there is, and any demand which can be persuaded to choose public transport rather than the car, would use the bus on the grounds of cost, frequency, timetable, speed and choice of pick up and drop off points.

However the purpose of the trial is to test demand and establish the nature of that demand. IMHO the question to be tested is "Is there enough demand by tourists - whether day trippers or those staying overnight or longer - to use the rail service between Wareham and Swanage whether those tourists come "all the way" by rail or just part of the way by rail using other forms of transport as well to justify the operation of such a service and for that service to be financially viable? Hopefully this years trial service will provide sufficient data for the question to be answered.

 

You are correct I believe and the timetable is rightly very much pitched at inbound travellers and really day trippers at that.
For locals the morning service of 10:00 from Swanage change at Corfe with a 27 minute wait, and then a 19 minute wait for the 11:27 in the up direction does little to deter use of the bus which also leaves at 10:00 and gets you to Wareham Station at 10:40 and hence on the 10:53 up train. (I am assuming that most locals, or people staying on holiday would be looking at the 10:00 departure from Swanage for a day out somewhere).
The other issue I have been unable to establish from the website is are tickets just valid for the day of issue? The website seems to imply that you select a return on the same day. Does that mean that those you may want to come down for a few days need to singles if they use the service? I am unsure.

 

AFAIK SRC return tickets have always been "day return" tickets and treated as such by TTIs. I therefore presume your assertion that for a period return a passenger would in fact have to purchase two singles is correct. This does of course make the period return fare eye wateringly expensive. I have done a quick check on the website but can find no definition of terms or other rules and regulations. Me thinks an email to the Reservations Department is required! (I was hoping that when SWR put the fares on their system the answer would be self evident).

 

The 1000 steam service from Swanage arrives Norden at 1022, The Loco has to run round it's train before departing at 1040 and arrives Corfe 2 minutes later, The signalman after exchanging tokens has to replace the incoming signals to Danger, put the key token through the machine obtain a release from Norden Crossing, Change the London end points clear the up starting signal and deliver the Corfe to Norden key token to the driver of the Wareham service, three minutes is the minimum time it takes to do this operation.

 

Although the press release does say
https://www.swanagerailwaytrust.org...t-of-purbeck-thanks-to-working-in-partnership

Probably better for afternoon train return trips from Swanage to say Dorchester or Poole?
Also noticed
https://www.swanagerailway.co.uk/ne...rst-swanage-railway-heritage-train-to-wareham
"A dedicated volunteer who was one of the first to start rebuilding the Swanage Railway – and who travelled on the last British Rail train from Swanage to Wareham as a child in 1972 – is to be the conductor driver on the first Swanage Railway passenger train into Wareham using the heritage line’s 1950s diesel train."

 

The Wareham starts today (Tuesday 4th April) but anyone considering travelling please read the full timetable very carefully as the "todays departures" pop up on the home page is misleading! (The todays departures is showing trains which terminate at Norden as going through to Wareham).

 

I can't wait for today, finally their own DMUS are being used (next step is to get their own licence and own staff).
2023 Should be a fantastic year to remember

 

DMU looked very smart heading northbound from Corfe. i got up At 0530EDST to view. I actually rode the Swanage Branch circa 1952 behind an M7 and in the dusty ex suburban stock. Now we need a webcam at Wareham or Worgret!
BTW noticedc a coach in the headshunt at Swanage?

 

The first train 117 + 121 (for guests I think)looked rammed on arrival at Swanage. Not really unexpected for the first train I guess.
For @oliverbest the coach in the headshunt is the kitchen car from the dining set, been there since before the gala.

 

A goodish load picked up at Wareham plus good pick ups at Norden and Corfe Castle. Quite a few had travelled up on the 1000 ex Swanage changing at Corfe Castle onto the DMU to go to Wareham and then straight back to Swanage.