Wrong track (From Gazette Series)

Wrong track

THE reported comments by Wessex Trains' business manager David Pinkney (Gazette, July 8) suggest he is out of touch with local affairs and the role of the railway.

Cam & Dursley station was built to encourage people to travel to Gloucester and Bristol by train, not by car. Whilst he may not want the occupational hazard of having to deal with more passengers, there are plenty of people here who would prefer not to have to wait up to two hours for a train in off-peak periods.

It was not long ago that Wessex Trains said that they couldn't stop all trains at Yate. That changed last December. Now they say that they can't stop all trains at Cam & Dursley "without holding up the others". What rubbish!

The other main user of the line is Virgin Trains. They operate trains every 30 minutes both ways between Bristol and Birmingham. This frequency is maintained during the peak and off-peak. If trains can be stopped at Cam & Dursley in the peak, they can also be stopped off-peak.

Wessex Trains disappears next April when a new operator will take over an enlarged franchise known as the Greater Western Franchise. The consultation document on the Strategic Rail Authority's website (www.sra.gov.uk) shows an hourly service between Bristol and Cheltenham with all trains calling at Cam & Dursley. We have written in support of this proposal. We encourage others to do the same - the consultation period ends on 2 August.

Hopefully, the new franchisee will have more enlightened managers that are keen to encourage use of the railway.

Clive Mowforth Coaley Junction Action Committee 13 Jubilee Road, Kingshill Dursley