Our story below was an April Fool’s Day story!
Plans for a new multi-million pound coastal monorail service linking Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge with Berrow, Brean and Weston are due to be announced.
The Government is proposing to fund a series of new electric monorail services around the UK to encourage more environmentally-friendly travel and also help the economies of seaside areas in the future.
The proposed new service would see trains with a capacity for 100 people running along the coastline every 30-minutes on a raised line built on concrete pillars, as pictured here.
A spokesman from Somerset Coast Monorail confirmed the proposed route. Farad Pilsoloy says: “There would be a main station in Highbridge, close to the new Brue Farm housing development where 450 homes are being built. The line would then run along the River Brue towards Burnham Sailing Club and along the seafront to Burnham’s station near the jetty.”
“The monorail line will then head to Berrow and Brean, passing over the dunes, to reach a single station for visitors and residents to join the service. The line would then run across the fields near Brean Down, passing over the River Axe estuary to reach Uphill, finishing on Weston seafront.”
He says the service will provide “spectacular panoramic views” for users and could ultimately stretch around the Bristol Channel to other coastal places like Sand Bay, Clevedon and Portishead in the north and, eventually, Minehead and Watchet in a later phase.
“Somerset Coast Monorail is really keen to promote environmentally friendly travel and this will really help residents and visitors. We think the planned service would be warmly welcomed.”
Formal plans are due to be announced today (Wednesday), starting a consultation period.
