In 1866 another line, the Easton and Church Hope, was proposed on the other side of the Isle of Portland. Initially it was to link Portland's quarries to the sea. This line was started but powers expired in 1872 and the line lay dormant for eleven years. In the meantime an Admiralty railway was built from the end of the Weymouth and Portland line to a pier on the new Admiralty Breakwater, mainly to supply coal to ships. The Easton and Church Hope was revived with hopes of running powers over this line but although construction was authorised in 1884 none was undertaken until 1888. When it did the work involved blasting through three and a half miles of solid rock in a task taking twelve years. A new station was completed at Easton in 1900. A delay caused by the need to bring the Admiralty stretch up to passenger standard followed. The Admiralty terminated its agreement with the GWR and LSWR, allowing the Easton and Church Hope to carry out the work itself. The line opened to passenger traffic on 1 September 1902.