The South Glos Post

Rail campaigners have welcomed new figures showing dramatic increases in the use of local train services, particularly from Severn Beach station

Figures published as part of the Severnside Community Rail Partnership’s (SCRP’s) 2011 Annual Report from the weekday passenger count carried out in November show that passenger numbers have increased from 135 to 201 – or by 49 per cent – at Severn Beach station between 2009 and 2011.

The same count found increases at other South Gloucestershire stations over the same 2 year period:

• Filton Abbey Wood has seen a 12 per cent increase – from 3,102 to 3,461
• Patchway has seen a 26 per cent increase – from 234 up to 295
• Yate has seen a 5 per cent increase – from 931 up to 974

Cllr Robert Griffin (Con, Pilning & Severn Beach) said:

“The Severnside Community Rail Partnership does a tremendous amount of good work and this whopping 49 per cent in passenger numbers is testament to these marvellous efforts.”

“All we can do is encourage people to leave their cars at home and use public transport and it’s great to see this being done in ever increasing numbers on the Severn Beach line.”

“And there’s always more we can do to keep this trend heading in the right direction, particularly improving reliability.”

More: Council transport chief is "delighted" with figures »

Source: Conservative Group on South Gloucestershire Council

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Rail campaigners in South Gloucestershire have welcomed assurances by the industry that local services will improve.

It follows concerns raised by South Gloucestershire Council’s transport chief about disruption that has been occurring on local rail services, particularly cancellations affecting passengers on key commuter services on the Severn Beach line and the Gloucester-Yate-Bristol Parkway-Bristol Temple Meads line.

On various occasions, there have been cancellations or curtailments to morning peak trains which have been attributed to shortage of crew, trains late from depot and train breakdowns.

On the Severn Beach Line, the main casualty has been the 07.18 from Severn Beach which has been either cancelled in entirety or curtailed to start at Avonmouth – stranding passengers at Severn Beach.

In addition, cancellations have also been occurring on other lines, including:

• The 6:26am train from Bristol Parkway to Temple Meads and destinations beyond (this is the first train of the day in that direction from Bristol Parkway and used by passengers with onward connections at Temple Meads)
• Local services on the Gloucester – Yate – Bristol Parkway – Bristol Temple Meads line
• Local services on the Cardiff – Newport – Patchway – Bristol Temple Meads line

More: First Great Western chief gives assurances »

Source: Conservative Group on South Gloucestershire Council

South Gloucestershire Council has made a series of grants to groups across the district to help strengthen and improve communities.

This financial year, more than £38,000 has been distributed in two phases by the council to Safer and Stronger Community Groups (SSCGs) to fund crime prevention initiatives and to strengthen and improve the quality of community life.

In this latest phase £26,500 has been granted to a total of 15 approved applications including: almost £2,000 towards the provision of an after school club in Kingswood; £2,000 towards fencing for the newly refurbished play park in Charfield; £1,000 towards security shutters for the pavilion at the George V playing fields in Wickwar; £2,000 towards the provision of regular amateur boxing sessions for young people in Severn Beach and Wickwar; almost £2,000 towards youth activities at Wapley Common in Yate; £1,000 towards security lighting and an alarm system for the Wick and Abson village hall.

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Source: South Gloucestershire Council

The Sunday train service from Bristol Temple Meads to Avonmouth has been extended to serve Severn Beach for the first time in some years.

South Gloucestershire Council is funding the extension from Avonmouth to improve transport provision in the area and also to attract tourists and encourage families to have a day out travelling around the region by train. The service to Severn Beach runs hourly on Sundays through the summer until September 5 with certain trains running beyond Bristol Temple Meads to Weston-super-Mare and Taunton.

This picturesque line is ideal for family days out, as it runs along the Severn estuary into the heart of SevernBeach where there are many scenic walks and wildlife to discover and cycle routes for visitors to enjoy.

The council have been working jointly with the Severnside Community Rail Partnership, First Great Western and Bristol City Council to promote the route.

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Source: South Gloucestershire Council