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BRANCH LINE WILL GET £140,000 |
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10:40 - 26 January 2007
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Half-hourly services on the
Severn Beach rail line may return after the city
council pledged to reinstate its subsidy.
The surprise announcement came at the
council's cabinet meeting last night where
executive members discussed next year's council
tax and budget.
The cabinet proposed to
give £140,000 to First Great Western to support
extra services on the line from December 2007 to
spring 2008 and a total of £450,000 over the next
three years.
The popular service, which
runs from Severn Beach to Temple Meads via
stations including Avonmouth, Clifton Down,
Redland and Stapleton Road, ran half-hourly until
the council scrapped its £136,000 annual subsidy
last April. Campaigners who fought bitterly to
have the trains reinstated said the council U-turn
was a victory.
Julie Boston, of the Friends
of Suburban Bristol Railways, said: "At last we
see hope. We are really delighted and are going to
celebrate. This will mean there will be two trains
an hour.
"At the moment it is very
difficult to use the branch line as a feeder to
the main line because of the long times between
trains. People have stopped using the service
because it often leads to them missing their
connections."
The investment will not come
into effect until the end of the year, tying in
with the next planned change of
timetable.
The cabinet also said the
council's three-year financial plan will be
changed to allow for full-year costs of up to
£450,000.
But council leader Barbara Janke
said First was not to take the investment lightly
and had to come up with a 'realistic and
affordable' price for delivering improved train
frequencies on the Severn Beach line.
She
said: "It is critical that local authorities and
their council taxpayers are not seen as a soft
touch who will provide a blank cheque to private
companies such as rail and bus
operators."
At the meeting, Councillor
Dennis Brown, executive member for transport, said
the council would consider investing money in
ticket machines and CCTV. He said: "The stations
need refreshment. We are to consider on station
ticketing. The risk to the machines will mean CCTV
will be next."
First Great Western
spokesman Andrew Griffiths said: "We welcome the
announcement and look forward to working in
partnership with the council."
The cabinet
said the cash has become available thanks in part
to a successful crackdown by the council on
fraudulent claims for 'lone household' discounts
on council tax bills.
Also approved last night was a plan to make
24-hour street cleaning throughout Bristol a
permanent service. The street 'cleansing' service
has traditionally worked between 6am and
4pm.
>
The cabinet also agreed to a series of Dog
Control Orders to be enforced in certain areas of
Bristol, which would mean owners facing
prosecution or a fixed penalty notice if they do
not clear up mess, keep dogs on the lead or keep
their dogs off restricted land. |
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