Rail station bus link gets funding for future trial

NEW bus service between Glastonbury and Castle Cary railway station will begin on a trial basis in the near future after securing council funding.

- DANIEL MUMBY Local Democracy Reporter

Castle Cary station serves more than 354,000 passengers per year across a large rural area, with many communities relying on the private car to reach the station owing to limited public transport.

Glastonbury TrainLink has been campaigning for a new bus service to run between the town and the railway station via Pilton and Shepton Mallet, submitting a bid through the Somerset Bus Partnership for £150,000 to cover the cost of running the service for at least six months.

Somerset Council has now confirmed funding for the trial as part of its local transport plan, though it has not indicated how soon such a trial will begin.

Glastonbury TrainLink trustee Nick Hall addressed the issue when the council's executive committee met in Taunton last Wednesday.