One year on - Severn Beach Line investment
Date: June 2009The Improved Service
A bouncing bonny baby 30% bigger
Shirehampton Station on Sunday 17th May and the platform was flooded with people detraining from the 14.44 arrival. Amongst the crowd were Councillors, union officials and special guest, Cat Hobbs. All had come for one purpose: to celebrate the first anniversary of the introduction of the new enhanced service on the line to Temple Meads.
A year has passed since the new service levels subsidised by Bristol City Council (including a regular Sunday service for the first time in about 40 years!)were introduced and the 17th May marked the introduction of the new summer timetable too. So a celebration with a specially commissioned train cake after various speeches and the presentation of cards (designed by Ian) signed by the travelling public to thank Bristol City Council, First Great Western, the Unions and workers. Although it rained, the shelter on the station seemed to expand to cover the majority of the 50 or so people there.
Our photos show the cake and the chalked message on the platform (so well removed by a tropical storm some 10 minutes after the train whisked off the crowd,) and the cake being cut by councillors, Cat et al.
Thank you Bristol City Council, thank you First Great Western - now we would like a 30 minute service, redoubling the loop at Montpelier to Clifton Down, the Park & Ride platform at Portway, Portishead..............
So there had to be Cake
