Alistair Cameron slams rail company over train stops at Ashchurch Rail Station

7.35.29pm BST (GMT +0100) Sun 18th Oct 2009

Alistair Cameron, Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Tewkesbury has strongly criticised the rail company, CrossCountry, for failing to increase the number of stops at Ashchurch Railway Station near Tewkesbury for its service between Bristol and Birmingham.

Last December, the company reduced the number of stops at Ashchurch from 7 to 3. However, Alistair recently wrote to the company asking them to consider increasing the number of stops following concerns expressed to him by rail users. Unfortunately, the rail company has responded that it is "unable to develop a commercial case" for increasing the number of stops.

Alistair said: "Ashchurch Station has enormous potential as the train station for rail users in Tewkesbury but also for a large number of people in North Gloucestershire who find it difficult and expensive to get to Cheltenham and Gloucester stations. However, it will only be able to achieve this potential if the trains are allowed to stop at Ashchurch more frequently.

"I find it particularly disappointing that when many people are trying to promote the economic prospects of Tewkesbury (such as the Tewkesbury Regeneration Initiative), the service at Ashchurch has reduced."

"There are also strong environmental reasons why we should be promoting rail travel in order to reduce our carbon emissions. We must therefore make it easier and not more difficult for people to use the trains."

Alistair will be taking this issue up again with the rail company and the local passenger authority in order to persuade them of the importance of increasing the number of stops at Ashchurch.