The Cookham Society wants the Marlow Donnkey to operate more frequently

The Cookham Society has called for the Marlow branch line train to operate more frequently during off-peak times.

The off-peak service is currently one train per hour in each direction between Maidenhead and Marlow, calling at Cookham station along the way.

During the morning and evening peak times the branch line, known affectionately as the ‘Marlow Donkey,’ operates every half hour by using two trains, one shuttling between Marlow and Bourne End, and another between Bourne End and Maidenhead.

Dick Scarff, committee member of The Cookham Society, which takes an interest in all matters affecting the village, said: “Primarily [we want more frequent trains] to encourage more people to use the train than to use cars.

“I think there’s more than one aspect to this.

“There’s obviously the environmental thing that you want better public transport, but also, we believe there will be significant problems with traffic with the building work that is coming up in local plans in both Cookham and Bourne End.

“Anything that can be done to persuade people to go by public transport rather than by car will be useful, and I think there’s a lot of people at the moment who think ‘I’ll use the car because I’m not quite sure when I’m coming back, and I might have to wait an hour for a train’.

“But we want them to think ‘Oh, I might as well go by train because I know there’s going to be one sometime in the afternoon when I’m coming back’.

He added: “It’s an asset there that we’re not making the best use of.”

The issue with the line is that all trains from Marlow must stop and reverse at Bourne End, as the line to Marlow has a trailing connection, and the driver must change ends for the second part of the route.

As a result of the position at which the Marlow branch enters Bourne End station, the length of trains serving Marlow is limited to two coaches of class 165 rolling stock.

There is also an issue of funding that does not allow for more frequent trains to be available during off-peak times.

A spokesperson for operator Great Western Railway said: “We support the local aspirations for more off-peak services on the Marlow branch line, but improvements in the track and signalling infrastructure at Bourne End would be required to accommodate the additional services.

“Working alongside Network Rail, we have invested in the development of design work that would allow this to happen. Further work is not possible, however, without significant infrastructure funding from Government.”