Weston’s MP John Penrose has called for a cast iron guarantee that the existing High Speed Intercity train services from Weston must be maintained or increased as the Great Western Rail franchise prepares for its next chapter.
In his response to the open consultation on plans issued by Great Western Rail, John also welcomed proposals for more train capacity and frequency – giving people a greener option of travel; better integration of train and track; stronger focus on customers’ needs and satisfaction; and timetables that deal with seasonal variations – hugely important to a tourism town like Weston.
John said: “There’s a lot of unquestionable good in these plans. They need to provide a template for better, less crowded and more reliable train services so both visitors and local residents have an attractive alternative to the traffic jams around J21 of the M5.
“The suggestion of breaking the franchises up into several smaller deals could be extremely good news too. Many of us will have wished we could switch to another service run by a different company in the past, when First Great Western bogged things up yet again. And running several smaller franchises could give us more choice, so we’re less reliant on a single firm’s services when things go wrong.
“So more choice could give us passengers the whip hand, forcing train companies to work harder to keep our custom. But it mustn’t come at the cost of the all-important High Speed Intercity services which currently call at Weston’s stations. They aren’t just a vital connection for business folk going to the Thames Valley or London and beyond. They also mean bigger, less-crowded rush-hour services for Bristol commuters too. They need to be maintained or increased, whatever else the new franchise plans involve.”
Notes:
A Copy of John’s letter can be found on his website:
http://johnpenrose.org/wp/2018/02/22/johns-letter-to-great-western-franchise-consultation/
A copy of the plans open for consultation can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/663801/great-western-rail-franchise-consultation-web.pdf