Swanage Railway respond to embankment fire near Corfe Castle

Swanage Railway Trust trustee and Swanage Railway Company has said they will be closely monitoring the situation after announcing they would not be running steam trains until further notice.

The news followed an embankment fire near the Swanage Railway line on Saturday afternoon that became ‘difficult’ to extinguish after it spread through fields.

The blaze also saw all Swanage lines temporarily suspended until 8pm. 

Read more: Crews tackle large fire near railway at Corfe Castle

Company and trustee director, Trevor Parsons, said: “We are taking the situation very seriously and will probably be running heritage diesel trains – instead of steam trains – for the rest of the week because of the increasingly hot weather and the danger of further lineside fires.

“We are closely monitoring the weather situation on a daily basis and encourage visitors to check our website at swanagerailway.co.uk for the latest updates.

Photo by Swanage Fire Station

“I would like to thank the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service for its professionalism in dealing with the lineside fire south of Corfe Castle station late on Saturday afternoon.

“I would also like to thank our dedicated Swanage Railway staff and volunteers who kept our passengers safe, supplied them with bottled water, updated passengers with information and helped them reach their destinations by bus and taxi after our steam trains were delayed and cancelled because of the lineside fire.

“Our train service resumed at 8pm on Saturday evening with our evening Swanage Regatta and Carnival fireworks heritage diesel train departing Corfe Castle station for Harman’s Cross and Swanage,” added Trevor who is also a volunteer guard and signalman on the heritage line.