Ryanair have today announced two new routes from Bournemouth airport.  They are to Carcassonne (France) and Rhodes (Greece).  These are in addition to the following 13 routes which commence in February or March: Alicante, Faro, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Malaga, Malta, Murcia, Palma (Mallorca), Pisa, Tenerife and Wroclaw. 

2011 saw a reduction in routes and passenger numbers in line with the slowdown in the economy.  It is good, therefore, to see new routes starting in 2012.

More steam-hauled charter trains will operate this year into and from Dorset than ever before.

The Dorset Coast Express from London to Bournemouth and Weymouth will run on July 5, 12, 19 and 26, then August 14, 15, 21 and 28, and September 13, 20 and 27.

The Weymouth Seaside Express from Bristol to Weymouth will run on July 1, 8, 15 and 22, then August 19 and 26, then September 16 and 23.   The gaps preventing a weekly service are due to the Olympic sailing events in Weymouth.

There will also be steam-hauled special trains to Swanage on April 19 (from Banbury and Oxford), June 14, 15 and 21 (from London) , September 13 and October 11 (also from London).  The trains on 15 June and 13 September will be extra special as they will be the all-Pullman Orient Express.

There will also be a steam-hauled special (The Royal Wessex) from Sussex to Bournemouth, Wareham and Weymouth on 30 June.

In the opposite direction there will be steam-hauled special trains (Bath Spa Express) from Poole and Bournemouth to Bath on Wednesdays April 18, May 16, June 20, August 15, September 5, October 3, November 28, December 5.
This year for the first time there will also be steam-hauled special trains from Poole and Bournemouth to Oxford (May 2 and September 19) and to Windsor (June 6 and August 22)

The trains will bring a variety of locomotives to Dorset.  It is provisionally planned that the train from Banbury to Swanage on April 19 will be hauled by "Princess Elizabeth", a very appropriate choice in the Queen's Jubilee Year.)

A diesel shuttle between Norden Park & Ride and Corfe Castle will operate on Saturdays and Sundays from 7 Jan to end of Feb. The fare will be just £1 single per adult and children travel free. There is a £2 parking charge at Norden.

Normally the railway does not operate at that time, but the service will run this year to assess demand.  

Check the Swanage Railway website for the timetable.

The ferry Barfleur may operate again in 2012 from Poole to Cherbourg, we've heard today through the grapevine.  A decision will be made in January 2012 and several factors will be taken into consideration.

This popular ferry was brought back into service this year, but the service was terminated at the beginning of October.
Many felt that would be the end of the conventional passenger ferry service from Poole, but there is still a chance the Barfleur may sail again.  At present the ship is laid up in Caen.

Many regular travellers prefer a conventional ferry to the fast catamaran that is already planned to link the two ports.  One of the Condor Ferries craft is chartered by Brittany Ferries to operate one return crossing a day between Poole and Cherbourg during the summer season, but the service cannot operate when the wave height is too great.

The prestige Pullman train will make two visits to Swanage in 2012, on 15 June and 13 September.  It will travel down the preserved Swanage Railway line for the last part of its journey into the seaside resort.  Passengers will pay almost £400 for their day trip, which includes a 5-course dinner with champagne.  They must wear smart clothing; jeans and trainers are banned!
The train will be welcomed by local businesses, bringing much-needed income from its passengers.

Poundbury and Dorchester are to be linked by a new bus service to be funded by Dorset County Council with help from West Dorset District Council and the Duchy of Cornwall.

The new route (number 6) will operate on weekdays between Queen Mother Square and Dorchester South Railway Station via Dorset County Hospital.  The bus will initially be diesel-powered but eventually electric buses will take over, thought to be the first electric-powered buses in South-West England.  The Department for Transport has given a grant for two electric buses with zero carbon emissions.

At a time when most county councils are slashing bus routes, Dorset is actually supporting a new service.

There are plans to fill in the gaps between the rails along the quays.  Dorset County Council wants to make the road safer for cyclists by filling the gaps with a sand and tar mix that could be removed if the tracks were operational again in the future.  There have been several accidents caused by the tracks over the years, and cyclists and motor-cyclists are particularly vulnerable.

The Harbour Tramway, also known as the Quay Branch, was opened by the Great Western Railway in 1865. Passenger and freight trains used the branch to access the steamers from Weymouth to the Channel Islands and France.  Ferries docked alongside the harbour station. The trains travelled at walking pace preceeded by an official with a red flag.  Some of the locomotives were fitted with a bell.  GWR pannier tanks saw regular use.

Regular freight trains ceased in 1972 and passenger trains in 1987.  Several special railtours ran over the branch, the last-known being in May 1999.  There have been several proposals to run a tram or light train over the line, but nothing has materialized.  The tracks are owned by Network Rail.

The Royal Mail ship St Helena made its last voyage today from the UK, when it left Portland for Ascension Island and St Helena. The 6,700 tonne passenger and cargo ship has been making regular calls to the UK since 1977.  
The ship will now make more regular trips St Helena, Ascension and Cape Town.
An airport is due to be built on St Helena within the next 5 years.

This will be up and running in January 2012, we have been informed today.  This is part of the Weymouth Transport Package for the Olympics, funded mostly by central government, but with additional funding from Dorset County Council.  It has been delayed from its original completion date but it will be a big improvement for Weymouth bus passengers when operating.  All the major bus stops will show the actual arrival time of the bus, and not the timetabled time, which can be very different, particularly during the heavy summer traffic.
The information should also be available on mobile devices, such as I-phones and Android phones.  

Passengers will have noticed the new screens on the reverse side of the bus stop flag, which currently are blank.  The new shelters at The KIngs Statue will have the screens built in to the inside of the shelter where the bus stops, which currently are empty spaces except for a few wires.

Good to see the improvements being made to the station, especially the refurbished toilets. It's a pity nothing is being done to platform 1 which has no canopy or shelter to protect passengers from the rain.  The main booking-hall/waiting area is also extremely small.  Hope the litter on the tracks will get collected more often.  It's usually a disgrace by the buffer stop on platform 1, but station staff are not permitted on the track.