Column by Thornbury and Yate MP, Luke Hall.

Re-opening Charfield Station and improving our local transport infrastructure is more important than ever, with more people starting to return to work, children going back to school, and our local economy beginning to regain momentum.

Delivering this station will to help relieve some of the growing pressure on the road network. This will mean quicker journey times to Bristol and Gloucester, and will provide a vital link to employment, schools and colleges.

We have already seen progress:

First, we secured £900,000 to conduct the detailed feasibility study into re-opening the station. Network rail are now finalising this study and have been investigating whether a station is possible just south of the old Charfield Railway Station building, including checking ground conditions and a number of other local factors to inform the final report. This will be completed in the next few weeks and will enable the Council to take forward a single option for a final detailed design.

Secondly, Charfield Station has made a shortlist of fifty projects in the UK to be examined by an expert panel to receive a central Government funding boost, which could speed up the re-opening. As the local MP, I have written to the Minister for Transport to ask for support for Charfield’s bid.

And lastly, we have the backing of West of England Metro Mayor Tim Bowles. The funding to build the new station, and the work to ensure that there are regular trains stopping at it, has come from Tim Bowles. He is as determined as I am to see Charfield reconnected to the railway and construction is currently planned to start in 2022.

We are on track to re-open Charfield Station and it remains a key pledge in my Positive Plan for Transport. I will continue to work alongside the village community to ensure this vital piece of infrastructure is delivered, in the best way possible.

With your support, we have already seen huge success for this plan; we’ve scrapped the Severn Bridge Tolls, secured new Electric Car Charging points which will be installed around South Gloucestershire, we’re building a Yate Park and Ride, and will be delivering a half hourly train service from Yate to Bristol. As someone who has lived in the local area my whole life, I know how congested our roads can be, and will campaign to deliver the transport links our community deserves.

As ever, if anyone has any further questions on this, or if there is anything that I can do to help as the local MP, then please do not hesitate to get in touch with me at luke.hall.mp@parliament.uk.