Campaigners welcome start of rail-link bus

A new bus link between a busy, rural railway station and a popular town has been launched.

Somerset Council is funding the 567 RailLink bus for six months on a trial basis so it can assess customer demand.

The route, which is operated on a council-branded minibus, runs between Castle Cary railway station and Glastonbury.

Susannah Clemence, who campaigned for the service, said seeing it in operation was "delightful".

It will operate for seven days a week, and will connect passengers from destinations such as London and Plymouth to the market town.

The first bus will leave Glastonbury Town Hall at 06.25 BST, and will arrive at the staion in Castle Cary by 07.02 BST, in time for that hour's trains, with the final service leaving the railway station just before 23.00 BST on weekdays.

As well as Glastonbury, the bus will also stop in Street, Butleigh, Keinton Mandeville and Lydford-on-Fosse.

Clemence added: "It feels like it's a big first step towards getting the bus that we've been campaigning for.

"It will go past the [Glastonbury] festival site in Pilton, down past Prestleigh and the A371 to get more directly to Castle Cary... which is really a good, really major step."

She said she hoped the route will "open up the whole country" to Glastonbury.

Somerset Council said the six-month trial is being funded by the Bus Service Improvement Plan cash from central government, adding it would monitor passenger numbers.

Councillor Richard Wilkings, lead member for transport at Somerset Council, said: "Hopefully it will prove popular, as it gives people the choice to leave their car at home and save money.

"The route needs to be sustainable in the long term and well used, so we need people to make the most of it."

Follow BBC Somerset on Facebook and X. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.