FORMER railway lines around Weymouth and Portland will be retraced on television tonight.

Presenter Julia Bradbury walks the trackbed of the old Weymouth to Portland railway, now the Rodwell Trail, and investigates the history of the Merchants’ Railway which was built to transport stone across the island.

In Railway Walks – Harbouring History, Julia is joined on her walk by David Carter from the Friends of Rodwell Trail and later by Portland historian Stuart Morris.

Producers say each walk featured in the series offers a window into industrial Britain and tells a unique story of how the rise and fall of the railways has altered lives across the country.

The programme follows on from the success of the hugely popular Wainwright Walks shown on the BBC last year, which was also presented by Julia Bradbury.

She visited the borough in May to film scenes for Railway Walks. The visit came on the same weekend as celebrity chef Marco Pierre White recorded an episode in Weymouth for a new cookery show.

Railway Walks can be seen on BBC4 tonight at 8.30pm and will be repeated on BBC2 at a later date.