Stephen Williams MP Joins Celebrations for Improved Timetable for Severn Beach Line

1.48.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 19th May 2008

Stephen Williams, Lib Dem MP for Bristol West, this morning joined campaigners to celebrate the introduction of the new timetable for the Severn Beach line. From today trains will run every 40 minutes from Bristol Temple Meads to Avonmouth.

Stephen Williams MP said,

"I am delighted to see the improvement to the service. I have campaigned for an increased frequency of the service on the Severn Beach line for many years. It was the Liberal Democrat administration on the city council that secured the necessary funding for these changes.

"If we are going to make a significant improvement to Bristol's transport network - then services like this need to be developed and built upon. Today's events are a step in the right direction but the campaign does not stop here.

"New signals between Stapleton Road and Temple Meads could further improve this service in terms of frequency of trains running and helping to reduce delays. Part of the difficulty in encouraging public transport use is the lack of clarity regarding timetables. If there is a reliable, frequent service then commuters will be much more likely to give up their dependence on their car.

"You do not have to have lived in Bristol very long to have experienced the chaos of the city's transport infrastructure. Liberal Democrats have campaigned vigorously, at all levels, to better the transport experience in Bristol - whether through support of campaigns like this one here today or by campaigning to preserve the Bristol and Bath Railway Path

"Today, we have seen the first positive outcomes of that campaign, but there remains much to be done."