Foster secures fresh hope for Freshford station

12.57.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 23rd Mar 2005

Due to the intervention of Bath's MP, Don Foster, work to resolve the excessive stepping distance at Freshford Station will finally begin this autumn.

In January, Don Foster held high-level talks at Westminster with Network Rail Senior Managers, and demanded an assurance that this seventeen-year long saga must swiftly come to an end.

This worked!

After the meeting, John Armitt, Chief Executive of Network Rail, agreed that the situation was "completely unacceptable," and that "the management team had begun the necessary action to bring about … a resolution to this saga."

Today, Don has received an email from Network Rail confirming that the work is proposed to start this Autumn, and should have "substantial completion" within this financial year (i.e. by April 2006).

Commenting, Don said,

"I am absolutely delighted with this news, we've been working hard at this, and I'm thrilled that my meeting in January has had this result.

"The people of Freshford have waited far too long for a safe platform.

"But I would still urge a word of caution - we've been here before. This time, however, the funding has been signed off by the Chief Executive and the situation looks more promising than it's ever been!

"I pay tribute to the local community - led by Cllr. Gitte Dawson - who have campaigned so tenaciously for so many years to get what they deserve"

Councillor Gitte Dawson (LD, Bathavon South) said:

"We are all elated by this confirmation that the work will finally go ahead, and we're all grateful to our MP for working so hard in bringing this about."

"It's now fingers crossed that things don't go wrong again!"