menu
menu
Natalie Bennett and Ashton Gate Stadium Community Liaison Manager David Lloyd visit potential site of new railway station for Ashton Gate
Natalie Bennett, leader of the Green Party, will today join local residents in calling for a new railway station to serve the Ashton and Southville areas.
Alongside Ashton Gate Stadium’s Community Liaison Manager David Lloyd, Bennett will visit the proposed site for the station and discuss how proposals to bring back passenger rail services to the area could benefit the community, by offering direct links to the main rail station at Temple Meads and beyond.
The central location of the site near Ashton Gate Stadium will allow it to serve the communities of Ashton, Ashton Vale, Southville and Bedminster, as well as benefiting employers and leisure providers in the area.
Natalie Bennett said, “The Green Party has long campaigned in favour of public transport solutions – especially rail. The Portishead line is key to rail development for the city and runs through the centre of a large community with increasing transport needs. Reopening this line for passenger use is the right thing to do for the Ashton community and the city at large.”
Charlie Bolton, Green Party candidate for Southville in Thursday’s election, said,
“The local community has long been crying out for a railway station. Transport provision needs to be a priority here, and with so much on its doorstep, this site is a prime location for new passenger rail services that link to other transport schemes. If elected, I will campaign to make this a reality.”
In addition, proposals for the station include plans to allow direct interchange with other public transport schemes, and offer the potential to further expand rail services in the city.
Following the visit, Natalie Bennett will stop to see North Street and its shops before traveling north of the river to meet representatives from Bristol’s Big Green Week, and visiting Bristol University’s Cabot Institute to hear about its research programmes to tackle the challenges of climate change.
Notes
1. Bristol Green Party recently launched a mini manifesto for transport in the city, available here: http://www.bristolgreenparty.org.uk/news/minimanifesto-of-transport-priorities-for-mayor-of-bristol-to-tackle-in-next-year
2. Bristol Green Party local election candidate information: http://www.bristolgreenparty.org.uk/news/greens-aim-to-become-bristols-second-biggest-party-by-2016