news story

29th December 2006

MP Demands Urgent Meeting With First Great Western Over "Shocking" Yate Rail Service

Northavon MP Steve Webb has demanded an urgent meeting with First Great Western's managing director, Alison Forster, following the deterioration of the train service from Yate. The Yate-based MP has been inundated by complaints from local residents about the poor train service since it was taken over by First Great Western at the start of December.

Some commuters have complained about the changes to train timings, but most complaints have been about the unreliability of the service, the lack of capacity and in some cases the unfriendly response received from staff. A lack of carriages has meant that passengers are often having to stand in crowded conditions, and some Yate residents have reported that they have reverted to driving to North Bristol or the city centre because of the poor service.

One resident said: "Cattle on the way to market or the slaughterhouse travel in more comfort and with more space".

Now the Lib Dem MP is demanding an urgent meeting with the new train operators. He said:

"Commuters from Yate station have seen a dramatic worsening in the quality of service since First Great Western took over. Trains have been late and seriously overcrowded. As well as being unpleasant and inconvenient, there are real issues here about the safety of passengers.

"I will be making it clear to the Managing Director that the present level of service is totally unacceptable and that urgent action is needed. We cannot hope to reduce the amount of traffic on our roads if the public transport alternative is so shockingly inadequate".