PRESS RELEASE - Greens Continue the Pressure for Improved Rail in Bristol

Written by Daniel Casey Thursday, 15 December 2011

29/11/11

Having started on Saturday 26 November, Bristol Greens are active again campaigning for improved rail services. Specifically, to build on the success of the Severn Beach Line over the last 3 years, and provide a 40 minute service between Avonmouth & Parson Street from 0600 until Midnight, seven days a week. The focus of this action is to put pressure on Bristol City Council (BCC) to include subsidy for the improved cross-city service in the 2012/13 budget that is currently being drafted.

Green Party Cllr. Gus Hoyt for Ashley Ward commented, "The demand for the Severn Beach line will only continue to grow. The £200,000 that has been saved though increased usage should be reinvested back into the rail system. This could help our great urban trains edge their way towards excellence."

Many people find themselves stuck for transport in the evenings; either crossing the city or returning to their locale after trips to Bath, London & beyond. All the necessary infrastructure is in place; the current railways can do a lot of the work, though there's great scope for improvement. The key is to get the required services running. Green Party campaigners are collecting signatures & messages of support to send to BCC, plus urging rail passengers to write personally to their individual councillors to encourage them to subscribe to this programme of improvements.

This campaign will continue until 15th December, when the gathered public support will be presented to the BCC Cabinet Meeting as a collection of Christmas cards. We hope that this public pressure can encourage the Liberal Democrats to amend the city's budget in favour of rail.