We've won battle of Waterloo (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

We've won battle of Waterloo

A WILTSHIRE TIMES campaign supported by thousands of rail passengers has won the day and secured the future of a threatened train service from west Wiltshire to Waterloo.

At a meeting of the Western Rail Passenger Committee in Trowbridge on Tuesday Andrew Hains, managing director for South West Trains, finally came up with the answer campaigners had spent months waiting for.

He said the popular service would not be axed and would be taken on by his company in May.

Initially South West Trains will run two trains a day each way while the train operator tries to resolve problems with rolling stock.

The service is expected to return to normal, three trains daily each way, in December, although Mr Hains hinted this could increase in the future.

He said: "The level of support for this service has certainly influenced our decision."

Reg Dodson, chairman of West Wilts Rail Users Group, which campaigned to keep the service, said: "We are absolutely delighted with this decision and would like to personally thank all the 3,000 people who signed petitions and the Wiltshire Times for its support.

"The publicity we got rolling truly surged all the way from west Wiltshire up to London where our voice was heard."

Following the launch of the Save Our Train campaign in July we received hundreds of letters from passengers who said the service was a cheap, fast and efficient way to travel to London.

Copies of all the letters were sent to the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA), South West Trains and Transport minister Alistair Darling.

Many supporters said the business community would suffer if the service was axed because it would break a crucial link with the capital.

The service came under threat when Arriva Trains, the rail authority's new choice to run the route, said it could not keep up the service.

South West Trains stepped in with an offer to extend its Salisbury to Waterloo service, adding stops at west Wiltshire's stations, but has been in talks with the SRA since August, leaving passengers in limbo.

Bradford on Avon mayor Vicky Landell Mills said: "I am thrilled the service will carry on and that everyone's campaigning has paid off."

Charles Dewey, marketing manager for the A2B transport group in Bradford, said: "We are aware of the huge amount of public support for this service.

"From statistics we discovered it is the second most popular off-peak service from the town.

"We are delighted that South West Trains and the SRA have seen the potential for this service and

have followed people's wishes.

"It is now up to the good people of Bradford and west Wiltshire to carry on using this service which I am sure they will."

Trowbridge town, district and county councillor Jeff Osborn said: "This proves that if people work together and campaign to save something very much valued locally it can have an effect."

But press officer for the West Wilts Rail Users group, Roger Newman, called for caution in celebrating the success of the campaign.

He said: "I do not think we have had 100 per cent confirmation that the service will run. We know the will is there and that South West Trains would like to run the service but there are many legal ramifications, crew training problems and problems with rolling stock it still depends on."