After thirty three years of being closed, North Somerset Railway has been teased with the chance of opening and returning to the tracks once again.

The line to Radstock, which started carrying passenger traffic in 1875, when it was taken over by GWR, was formally closed in July 1988 after the removal of two rail lengths at Hapsford.

Now, the North Somerset Railway CIC are calling for the rail line to be re-opened to connect out of reach villages and reduce the amount of cars on the roads.

Rupert Bevan, a member of the North Somerset Railway project, told The Journal: “The North Somerset Railway CIC is an independent company set up some ten years ago to restore the Radstock branch of the GWR as a commercial railway, linking Radstock with Westbury via an existing mineral line at Hapsford Junction, Great Elm.

“The branch line is about 5.5 miles long and shares the track bed with Sustrans Route 24.

“The company was encouraged originally by the problems of motor traffic in the Somer Valley and by the awareness that the population was increasing rapidly.

“The geography of the area does not allow for new roads or even widening the existing ones. Although Covid 19 has reduced the quantity of cars, these will soon return to normality, a situation that puts the main A roads at capacity.

“In 2020, the DfT invited bids for grants under an initiative called the Beeching Reverse scheme.

“The branch line is about 5.5 miles long and shares the track bed with Sustrans Route 24.

“The company was encouraged originally by the problems of motor traffic in the Somer Valley and by the awareness that the population was increasing rapidly. The geography of the area does not allow for new roads or even widening the existing ones. Although Covid 19 has reduced the quantity of cars, these will soon return to normality, a situation that puts the main A roads at capacity.

“In 2020, the DfT invited bids for grants under an initiative called the Beeching Reverse scheme. Interested groups were encouraged to suggest railways and stations that could potentially be re-opened. The NSR applied and although we were turned down in 2020, we were encouraged to modify our application to bid in the final round: March 2021.

“We have secured a lot of professional help but what is needed above all else is proof that the proposal to reopen the Radstock railway is viable.

“The more members of the public signing up to this, the better, visit: www.northsomersetrailway.com to fill in the survey.”