TRAIN campaigners are planning to lobby parliament in a bid to save the threatened Waterloo-Bristol service.
The route, which provides a direct link to London from Bradford on Avon, Trowbridge and Warminster, is due to be scrapped in February 2007 under the new south western franchise.
The service was omitted in a consultation document issued by the Department of Transport to potential bidders for the new franchise.
Bradford on Avon councillor Paul O'Callaghan is now planning to lead a delegation to London to meet transport secretary Alistair Darling at the end of the month.
Cllr O'Callaghan said he was determined to fight the decision to scrap the service and intended to challenge Mr Darling and franchise manager Carole King.
"They say it is underused but we don't accept that. I use the train myself and can see it is well used, the potential for the service is good," he said.
"The government is supposed to be encouraging people to stop using their cars but stopping this train service won't make any effort to reduce pollution or congestion on the roads."
He said scrapping direct routes could mean increasing waiting times for connections at unmanned stations.
"There are often gaps between connections and people may be at risk of personal attacks if they are coming home late at night," he said.
Cllr O'Callaghan has written to Mr Darling requesting an appointment and hopes a delegation of councillors and members of the public, as well as members of railway users groups, will be able to talk to him later this month.
This is the second time the train service from Waterloo to west Wiltshire has been under threat in the past three years.
After a successful campaign by the Wiltshire Times in 2003 it was agreed to keep the service.
Members of the public had until last Friday to submit any objections to the new plans to scrap the service.
West Wiltshire MP Dr Andrew Murrison is also backing the campaign to save the train and has written to the potential bidders of the franchise to encourage them to keep the service.
Anyone interested in joining the campaign to lobby parliament should contact Bradford on Avon Town Council on (01225) 864240.
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