Transport in Dorset

The main transport features in the county.

Dorset is a county in South West England. The county is largely rural and therefore does not have a dense transport network, and is one of the few English counties without a motorway. Due to its position on the English Channel coast, and its natural sheltered harbours, it has a maritime history, though lack of inland transport routes have led to the decline of its ports.

Rail

Dorset's railways, past and present.

Dorset is connected to London by two main railway lines. The West of England Main Line runs through the north of the county at Gillingham, Dorset and Sherborne. The electric South Western Main Line runs through the south of the county, at Bournemouth, Poole, Dorchester and the terminus at Weymouth, and was originally part of the Southern Railway. Additionally, a secondary line, the Heart of Wessex Line runs from Weymouth to Bristol, via Yeovil and Bath, in Somerset. This line was originally part of the Great Western Railway,

The Beeching Axe of the late 1960s led to the closure of Dorset's branch line railways, as well as the complete Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, between Bournemouth, and Bath, in Somerset. Through Dorset, this line roughly followed the Stour Valley, serving the market towns of Blandford Forum and Sturminster Newton in the Blackmore Vale, and is now being converted into a long-distance trail for cyclists and walkers. Another through line roughly followed the Avon Valley from Bournemouth to Salisbury. With the closure of the lines which terminated in Bournemouth, the terminus station in the town centre was also closed, leaving only the through stations. Also lost to the Beeching Axe were the branch lines to Abbotsbury and Bridport, and the out of town station at Shaftesbury, on the West of England Main Line.

Roads

Dorset is one of only four non metropolitan counties in England to not have a single motorway, however, two trunk road corridors run east-west through the county. In the north, the A303 London to Exeter and Cornwall road briefly enters the county, though for most of its route it is north of the borders with Somerset and Wiltshire. Further south, the A31, a continuation of the M27 motorway from Hampshire, serves as a northern bypass for the South East Dorset conurbation, merging into the A35 to continue west through the county, bypassing Dorchester and Bridport.

Several primary routes also run through the county. These are:

• A338, Bournemouth relief road, and through route to Salisbury.
• A35, from its split from the A31 trunk road, east through Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch.
• A350, Poole relief road, and through route to the A303, via Blandford Forum and Shaftesbury.
• A354, from Weymouth and Portland to Salisbury, via Dorchester and Blandford Forum.
• A37, from Dorchester to Yeovil and Bristol.

Other 'A' roads are:

• A30, London to the Westcountry, runs east-west through the north of the county, between Shaftesbury and Sherborne, but through traffic is directed to the A303, which acts as a bypass for the towns on the A30.
• A351, Poole to Swanage, via Wareham.
• A352, Sherborne to Wareham, via Dorchester.
• A353, Weymouth, to the A352 east of Dorchester.
• A356, from the A37 west of Dorchester, to the A303 west of Yeovil, Somerset.
• A357, Blandford Forum to the A303 at Wincanton, Somerset, via Sturminster Newton and the Blackmore Vale.
• A3030, Between Sherborne, and the A357 near Sturminster Newton.
• A3066, Between Bridport, and the A30 at Crewkerne, Somerset.
• The suburban roads of the South East Dorset conurbation (Poole, Bournemouth and Christchurch): the A341, A347, A348, A349, A3049, and A3060.

International

The only passenger airport in the county is Bournemouth International Airport, and there are two passenger sea ports, at Poole and Weymouth.