MP Ian Liddell-Grainger is calling for ‘every effort’ to be made to have regular train services connecting the West Somerset Railway with the main line in Taunton.

The West Somerset MP said establishing a permanent shuttle service would boost passenger numbers on the heritage line and deliver benefits to the entire district’s economy.

Mr Liddell-Grainger said he was enormously impressed by the way the 22-mile long railway had been hauled back from the brink of financial failure.

He said: “The whole operation, particularly its marketing, looks much more professional and one can detect a new air of optimism infecting it.

“I know times are particularly tough for the entire heritage railway sector because of steeply rising costs, not the least for coal.

“But the West Somerset Railway has taken a commendably pragmatic approach to the challenges and I have rarely seen it in better form.”

Mr Liddell-Grainger said the long hoped-for establishment of regular services between Taunton and the line’s current terminus five miles away in Bishop’s Lydeard had to be the next priority.

He said: “I am aware discussions have been taking place with various service providers and since the benefits of getting a regular shuttle service, even of running commuter trains to and from Minehead, are undeniable, every effort should be made to bring them to a successful conclusion.

“Apart from anything else, the influx of new passengers such a service would attract could be a major factor in securing the long-term survival of this much-valued tourist attraction.”