BackOnTrackLydneyAndChepstow

31/03/2021

Some fabulous news for parents, children and commuters alike and great news for the Forest of Dean and Monmouthshire. The Cross Country train will be stopping at Cheltenham at 16.15 and Gloucester at 16.25 so we've done it. A massive thank you to Alan Preest, Colin Chick and Rob Niblett from Gloucestershire CC, Forest of Dean District Council, Forest Economic Partnership, Mark Harper, Monmouthshire CC and David TC Davies MP. It's been great to see such collaboration across the borders and everyone pulling together. BackOnTrackLydneyAndChepstow And thank you CrossCountry trains, we've missed you!

Back in October, I met with Cllr Alan Preest, Lydney’s Town, District and County Councillor, and Forest of Dean constituent Sarah Taylor Phillips to discuss changes in train timetables due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

A number of CrossCountry services had been affected on the route that calls via Lydney. I had been relaying the concerns of constituents to both CrossCountry Trains and the Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, in conjunction with my colleague, Monmouth MP David TC Davies MP.

In October I was pleased to announce that CrossCountry had committed to resume the morning departures from Chepstow at 0715 and Lydney at 0724 to Gloucester after the October half-term break, starting on Monday 2nd November 2020.

Although this was great news – only half the job was done.

Further to the good news in October, I am now pleased to announce that CrossCountry have informed me that from Sunday 16th May 2021, CrossCountry will be resuming their full normal timetable on services between Cardiff, Gloucester and Birmingham.

This includes the return of their 1625 departure from Gloucester as requested by parents and other stakeholders, to shorten the day for school children travelling home to Lydney and Chepstow. CrossCountry will also operate their 06:57 departure from Cardiff as a shuttle to Bristol Temple Meads, which we know is popular for connections at Severn Tunnel Junction.

As the easing of Coronavirus restrictions continue and we see more businesses, hospitality and leisure venues reopening, CrossCountry will be assessing demand and looking at further possible changes to their timetables to support this. Throughout this time, they will continue to follow Government guidance to ensure customers are safe when travelling.

This news will be of great help to both students and parents across the Forest of Dean, and I pay tribute to all who have worked so hard alongside me to see this outcome.

26/01/2021

Afternoon all. There are some exciting things happening in the Forest of Dean, the Forest Enterprise Group have had a sub group working on our rural transport issues for over 3 years. If you are from the Forest of Dean, please complete this survey and answer questions as if we are NOT in a global pandemic. Thanks very much. Real change will happen.

Help FEP understand your transport needs by completing this survey. Share the link with others who live in the Forest.

22/01/2021

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qcXaTVFSbk

Leo Sayer - Train

22/01/2021

Trains Trains Trains

Here’s an update on the train situation, David Davies MP and Mark Harper MP have been on the case and thank you Steve M for keeping the pressure on and suggesting ideas.

The upshot is that Cross Country Trains are still unwilling to reinstate the much-needed afternoon service. We do hope that in time, as things improve, so will their view to reinstate the train service and we’’ll approach them again when the COVID situation improves.

David Davies MP and Mark Harper wrote to the Welsh Transport Minister to see if TFW can provide a solution to the afternoon “gap” for the schools returning in the near future, if XC cannot do so!

Earlier this week, David Davies MP received a reply from the Transport Minister Ken Skates, which sounds positive. He has asked his officials to work with Transport to Wales to understand if it is possible to make any adjustments to their services to fill the gap in the timetable between 15:27 and 17:00 at Gloucester. So we have some hope that the minister might be able to use his influence here to restore the afternoon arrivals in Lydney and Chepstow.

Hope you are all coping with lockdown, home schooling and running an around the clock restaurant.

Look after yourselves. Self-care is a must in these crazy times!

So look forward to seeing you at the station who knows when!

25/11/2020

Urgent Urgent Urgent
It's the end of November. The clocks have changed, a lot of kids are back to school but some are working from home because of covid. It's dark and it's cold and 3 of these children are self-isolating, so there's no safety in numbers at Gloucester Station, the children are all on different trains (rather than mostly all on the 16.25 Cross Country Gloucester to Lydney) and we STILL have a GAP of 1.5 hours in the timetable at Gloucester station just when the kids need a train service. Kids leave school at 15.25 or 15.30 and miss the 14.50 by a long shot, just miss 15.27 and have to wait 90 mins for the 17.00
We need to sort this to ensure the safety of our children. CrossCountry trains we know you are working on it but we need a timeline please CrossCountry trains Transport for Wales - Rail Services, Great Western Railway Rail Delivery Group, Mark Harper, David TC Davies MP, , Grant Shapps Richard Graham

08/11/2020

Hi everyone. Just to let you know that Alan Preest will be at Lydney Station tomorrow morning at 07.15 am. So any issues or questions, let him know tomorrow morning or let us know here and we’ll pass the message on.
I’ll be talking about the fact that we don’t have a viable, safe service to get our kids back from school if they need to hang around Gloucester station for 60 or 90 minutes with no cafe or safe place to hang out. We need to between 15.27 and 17.00 to ensure and also to help their . We were promised action but we haven’t heard anything since the clocks have changed and the schools started back.
CrossCountry trains Transport for Wales - Rail Services Great Western Railway Rail Delivery Group Mark Harper David TC Davies MP

02/11/2020

And that half an hour in the morning makes all the difference. It’s light, it’s doable and we are awake and ready for the day. Happy days. Great to see you in Lydney CrossCountry trains we have missed you..

We just need you back in Lydney @16.25 so the children don’t have to wait at Goucester Station for 90 minutes in the dark.
Mark Harper David TC Davies MP Alan Preest

01/11/2020

Urgent Urgent Urgent

The clocks have changed, the kids are starting to go back to school and we still have a GAP of 1.5 hours in the timetable at Gloucester station just when the kids need a train service. Kids leave school at 15.25 or 15.30 and miss the 14.50 by a long shot, just miss 15.27 and have to wait 90 mins for the 17.00

We need to sort this to ensure the safety of our children CrossCountry trains Transport for Wales - Rail Services Great Western Railway Mark Harper David TC Davies MP Richard Graham

28/10/2020

We’re half way there, living on a prayer.

The morning service is sorted, the afternoon service isn’t and it’s going to be dark and cold next week. We need to in the Gloucester timetable. There’s a train at 1448, then 1527 and then not until 1700 from Glos to Lydney.

CrossCountry trains Transport for Wales Great Western Railway Mark Harper David TC Davies MP Richard Graham Harry Ives Alan Preest Forest Economic Partnership

28/10/2020

We were on Radio Gloucestershire this morning (28th October 2020) at 7.52. So happy CrossCountry trains have sorted the morning service and the children get an extra half an hour in bed. We are working on the afternoon train service now, we want to 'CloseTheGap in the timetable at Gloucester between 15.30 and 17.00 and we don't mind who fixes this problem CrossCountry trainsor Transport for Wales - Rail Services but it needs to be fixed before next week because it will be dark on that journey home. Mark Harper David TC Davies MP Forest Economic Partnership

27/10/2020

This is Ewan, he's been taking his scooter to school ever since he went back in September because he has to scoot as fast as he can to catch the train to Gloucester from Cheltenham. It used to be at 16.11 and he could walk to the station, now it's at 15.58 and he needs to get there in 15 minutes, when he gets to Gloucester, he has a 25 minute wait for the train to Lydney. If he misses the 15.58 which has happened, he has to wait 1hr 25 mins at Cheltenham for the next train to Gloucester, with a further wait to Gloucester for the Lydney train.
There is a train at 15.15 from Cheltenham direct to Lydney but the kids are in school then.
Transport for Wales - Rail Services have put a Cheltenham service on next week from Cheltenham at 16.45 but it's only in the timetable next week.