Glastonbury TrainLink Working Group
Focus of work
This campaign emerged due to the lack of a direct link between Glastonbury town and the nearest train station. This impedes Glastonbury residents, who can only access rail services through circuitous and very long public transport journeys, by taxi (over £40), or by getting lifts or using their own vehicles. The 12-15 mile cycle journey is dangerous due to heavy traffic on fast country roads.
However, the demand for a direct bus to Castle Cary station has been informally evidenced, emerging as a top priority in several community consultations,
The Glastonbury TrainLink Working Group is fundraising to set up, promote and pilot a bus service to link Glastonbury town to the nearest rail station at Ansford, near Castle Cary.
This small grant from FIT funded a large local survey to collect data that will be used to inform funding applications to pilot the bus service, it will also serve to publicise the proposed service. Achievements as part of the project included:
- Over 1,000 surveys returned, mostly online, showing strong support. Read the survey results here
- Over 6,000 leaflets, with survey link, printed and distributed.
- About 1,000 paper surveys printed and distributed.
- 12 posters printed and distributed.
- Good coverage in local new outlets.
- Funding bid supported by Somerset Bus Partnership.
- Excellent engagement, interest and letters of support from town and parish councils, several county councillors and two MPs.
Impact
In August 2026, the campaign celebrated a significant success with the launch of a pilot bus route, the 567 linking Glastonbury to Castle Cary. The pilot is due to run for at least six months and is already proving popular. Although the route is not as comprehensive as the one campaigned for by Glastonbury TrainLink, it is an excellent start, and the group is continuing its campaigning work.
What users of the new service think…
I think the bus to Castle Cary station is a FANTASTIC innovation, long may it continue.
On Monday 7th September I caught the 567 to Castle Cary. It turned up on time at 11.33 and proved to be comfortable and surprisingly speedy. There were six people going to the station and others doing shorter journeys. I considered with pleasure how much I was going to save on parking as we trundled through the Somerset countryside. What a great thing this service is.
Beautiful buses. Fantastic service. Give it a go!
Villages, visitor destinations, schools and businesses along the way will all benefit from the early-to-late, seven-day-a week service proposed, along with the residents of Glastonbury and Ansford. It will provide a good link to the main railway line from London, Bath and the South West, so that the large volume of visitors from aother areas of the UK, Europe and the rest of the world will be able to get to Glastonbury without having to use a private car. This in turn will address the major problems we have with road traffic on local rural and village roads.
For everyone in Glastonbury and around the station at Ansford without a car, the bus service will be transformative, enabling swift, direct and reliable access to the rail network for leisure, work, education, medical and other commitments.
Other grantees
Better Buses North East
Developing a network of local and national campaigning organisations to build the case for bus franchising in the North East.
Climate Leadership Academy: Accelerating workplace parking levy
Helping local authorities learn how to develop and potentially introduce a workplace parking levy (WPL) to improve air quality and fund better public transport.
Putting children and families’ travel at the heart of new developments
A project bringing together children and developers to explore how new developments can enable children and young people to travel sustainably, actively and independently.
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