THE founder of a company hoping to reintroduce a railway service to Jersey is seeking to raise funds for a “comprehensive survey” to help progress the plans.
Alex Sparrow, of Jersey Western Railway, said the survey would examine both Islanders’ views on the scheme as well as the intended route.
In August, Mr Sparrow told the JEP about his plans for a railway service that would utilise around 30 electrically-operated locomotives, with a terminus at Trenton Square at the International Finance Centre.
The intended JWR route between St Helier, Corbière and the Airport would follow much of the Island’s “original” western railway, which opened in 1870 and closed in the 1930s.
He recently met representatives from the Infrastructure Department, including minister Andy Jehan, to discuss the scheme.
“The meeting was constructive and warrants further investigation,” he said, explaining that there was no “yes or no” from the Department.
“We are at the stage now where we need to get an independent survey carried out to prove the validity of the service.”
He explained that this would be a “comprehensive survey of both the Island’s opinion and the actual physical route itself”.
Islanders interested in the project can visit the jerseywesternrailway.co.uk website.
