Grassroots, Evidence, and the Road Not Taken: Rethinking the Glastonbury TrainLink Debate

The Glastonbury Trainlink team were actively working to stimulate demand for bus usage, which is exactly the kind of approach we need, i.e. community grassroots driven. They also carried out valuable groundwork in community engagement, with Parishes, surveys etc.

It’s not accurate to assume that a train link via Pilton village would fail. Rather, it should be recognised as a different level of risk that merits further exploration. At present, the discussion seems to have narrowed to choosing one route over another, whereas the opportunity should have remained open to assess a broader range of options — including the Pilton to Shepton route — in a more meaningful, evidence-based way, working with partners such as Glastonbury TrainLink and Shepton Town Council.

I hope that Shepton Mallet Council will pick up the conversation with Glastonbury TrainLink going forward.

With 20 years’ experience in community demand stimulation, I have seen seemingly unviable ideas turn into very successful realities, including initiatives in Frome (Catherine Hill), South Bristol, and Luton. I still hope a train link via Pilton and Shepton will happen, we just now need to find a different way to achieve that outcome.