Bath MP Wera Hobhouse has backed a campaign to keep the popular train service between Bath and London Waterloo running.
The MP has weighed in on the Government’s decision to cancel the service, which stops at Oldfield Park and Bath Spa.
Mrs Hobhouse wrote to the Department for Transport to raise the issue but received a response claiming that the service is a duplicate.
Supporting the campaign, she believes that the cancellation will be “hugely damaging” and inconvenient for residents across the West.
The service is due to be cut this December, which would also see Bradford-on-Avon and Trowbridge also lose their direct link to the city.
Since the news broke, campaigners have launched a petition that calls for GWR and the government to reconsider their decision.
The call comes as the Department of Transport specified that direct trains to London Waterloo from Bristol, Keynsham, Bath, Bradford and Avon and Trowbridge will cease in December 2021.
The route is the only through train from South London to Trowbridge, Bradford on Avon, Oldfield Park and Keynsham, and the only through services from Bath and Bristol to South London.
The MP says a number of constituents have contacted her, unhappy that the service is being withdrawn.
They argue that it is cheaper than using GWR to travel to Paddington and it saves changing at Salisbury.
Wera has twice written to the Department for Transport but says her concerns have “fallen on deaf ears”.
The MP commented: “The cancellation of this service is very disappointing and I am fully supporting campaigners in fighting for the decision to be reversed.
“I’ll be raising this issue in Parliament on my return. In the meantime, I urge you to sign the petition to reverse these cuts to services.
“Ultimately, Paddington and Waterloo are very different destinations and this move will be hugely damaging to residents in Bath, Keynsham and Wiltshire.
“From Waterloo there are options to travel where you can avoid the tube.
“During the pandemic, many people have been hesitant about using the tube and under these plans, they’ll be forced to put themselves at risk.”
