Town campaigns for direct bus to railway station

A group of volunteers are campaigning for a new direct bus to a nearby railway station.

The Glastonbury Train Link organisation was started by locals who are raising funds to trial a direct route to Castle Cary station, where trains leave for London or Taunton.

The group has raised more than £20,000 so far and is now trying to get hold of a pot of money allocated for bus services from Somerset Council.

Susannah Clemence, a trustee of the organisation, said: "You'd think that if there was a demand, something would exist. But how would it exist unless someone actually does it?"

She added: "Glastonbury people and our visitors can prove whether there really is a demand.

"Everybody who has returned our survey, they're saying people would switch from using cars - 80% say they would mostly use the bus."

The Glastonbury Train Link would be timed to connect with train arrivals and departures at Castle Cary, which is the nearest railway station.

The organisation is bidding for funding from Somerset Council's £4.3m Local Authority Bus Grant to run a pilot service for 12 months.

If successful, the service would run seven days a week, morning to night, launching in time for the 2026 summer season.

Peter Travis, co-chair of the Somerset Bus Partnership, added: "It's a really interesting proposal, it makes a lot of sense because we don't have enough railway stations in Somerset.

"Interconnectivity between buses and rail is a priority for government when they give grants so this is a strong conetender."

Somerset Council said in a statement: "Measures and costings are yet to be decided."

A spokesperson explained a final decision on any proposals would be taken at its executive committee in early March.

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