Shepton Mallet has been left out of a new rail link bus to Castle Cary station, after Somerset Council chose a route via Street instead of the one campaigners say communities had asked for.

The council's trial 567 service will launch on Sunday, 3 August, linking Glastonbury and Street with Castle Cary railway station seven days a week. It will run alongside the existing 667 service from Street and is intended to connect passengers with trains to London, Exeter, Plymouth, Paignton, Salisbury, Weymouth and Gloucester.

But the route will not serve Shepton Mallet, Pilton, Cannard's Grave, Prestleigh or the Bath and West Showground. Glastonbury TrainLink had pressed for those places to be included, arguing that a bus through Shepton would better serve rural communities, workplaces and leisure destinations on the way to the station.

That is the heart of the row: Somerset Council says the Street and Clarks Village route gives the trial its best chance of lasting, while campaigners say the rejected route was the one local communities actually backed.

Councillor Richard Wilkins, Somerset Council's lead member for transport and waste services, said the new service would provide a link from Glastonbury and Street to trains at Castle Cary.

He said: "We are delighted to be able to provide this trial service linking Glastonbury and Street to train services at Castle Cary. We're grateful to our partners, GWR and Clarks Village, for their help in promoting the new route.

"It will be good for Somerset businesses, including Clarks Village which is a popular destination for local people and visitors from further afield."

Cllr Wilkins said the route needed to be well used if it was to be sustainable beyond the trial. He added that timings at Castle Cary station had been set to leave enough time between bus and train arrivals and departures, particularly for London services.

Glastonbury TrainLink had wanted a route from Glastonbury to Castle Cary station via Pilton, Cannard's Grave, Prestleigh, the Bath and West Showground, Shepton Mallet, Ansford and Castle Cary town centre.

TrainLink member Susannah Clemence told Somerset Council's climate, environment and place scrutiny committee in Taunton on Thursday, 4 June, that the group had invested money, research and marketing work into what Glastonbury, Pilton and other communities had requested.

She said: "We have invested and accumulated considerable resources, both monetary and in professional standard research and marketing work, towards what Glastonbury, Pilton and other communities asked for.

"Namely, they want a bus that serves communities, workplaces and leisure destinations on the route from Glastonbury to Pilton, Cannard's Grave, Prestleigh, the Bath and West Showground, Castle Cary station, Ansford and Castle Cary town centre."

Ms Clemence said the group had compared its preferred route with an option via Street and Keinton Mandeville, which she said was rejected by respondents. She also said parish councils and businesses along the campaigners' route had backed the proposal, with more than £29,000 pledged towards initial costs.

Somerset Council rejected that option on viability grounds. Mike O'Dowd-Jones, the council's service director for infrastructure and transport, said the TrainLink proposal had been given "a great deal of consideration", but that the council had to consider value for money and passenger numbers.

He said: "We recognise the desire for a transport link to Glastonbury to Castle Cary railway station — and that's why we are providing this new service.

"It's important to stress that we need to provide the best value for the available funding we have, and therefore it's not possible to cover all the requested calling points."

Mr O'Dowd-Jones said the council's main concern was that the campaigners' route had "significant limitations" in terms of potential users. He said running via Street would help attract visitors to Clarks Village and Glastonbury, while widening the catchment area.

The council is also adding a return journey using the Somerton Slinky service, linking Somerton and Langport with a morning peak train from Castle Cary to London. A direct return journey will run in the evening peak, and off-peak passengers will be able to pre-book the Slinky to connect with the 567 at Keinton Mandeville, subject to availability.

For Shepton Mallet, the launch means the long-awaited Castle Cary rail link will arrive in Somerset, but not through the town. For campaigners, it leaves the question of whether the most viable route is the same as the one communities said they needed.

Original reporting: Daniel Mumby/LDRS

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