Campaigners join forces

Clevedon Mercury December 1 2005. Article by Richard Bache

IT’S full steam‑ahead to reopen the Portishead to Bristol railway as two rail campaign groups coupled last week.

The Portishead Railway Action Group and the Portishead Heritage Railway Project merged after years of campaigning separately.

The new group, Portishead Railway Group, has been formed to drive the campaign forward and to streamline things, as the presence of two groups was thought to be confusing. The chairman of the new group is Alan Matthews, who for 17 years was chairman of the Avon Valley Railway. Mr Matthews said he hopes to get some posters put up on.the main road out of town where commuters queue to get onto junction 19 of the M5. They would say 'It only takes 20 minutes by train to get to the centre of Bristol'.

Mr Matthews also said it would be great if they could get hold of an old steam train and place it at the site where a new station could be built.