TRAIN passengers travelling to London Waterloo will be forced to add an hour to their journey time and fork out an extra £10 if the current direct route is cut.
A campaign by the Wiltshire Times to save the Bradford on Avon train service, which also stops at Trowbridge and Warminster, has already received more than 50 letters from passengers.
The direct route could face the axe because the Strategic Rail Authority has not put it on the list of services a new franchise operator must run.
If the route is cut passengers on a weekday train would be forced to change at Salisbury and add 40 minutes to their journey, or change at Bath for a train to Paddington and take underground, which would take over three hours and cost £36. At present, passengers can buy a Supersaver return for £25 at Bradford on Avon for the two-hour journey.
Bradford town and district councillor Janet Repton has been campaigning to keep the direct line open and 2,000 people have signed her petition.
Last week she joined more than 200 passengers on the train journey.
She said: "The sheer numbers of people on this train show how popular it is. At the moment the train gets people into south London, for connections to Heathrow, Gatwick and the Eurostar. It is an excellent service and would be missed by so many people."
The campaign to save the train has received support from residents in Westbury, Warminster, Trowbridge and even France.
Bradford town councillor Philip Sutton is backing the campaign. "This is an important issue and I hope the letters keep flooding in to the Wiltshire Times and the SRA," he said.
Bradford mayor Vicky Landell Mills fears the axe could affect the whole of west Wiltshire.
She said: "The worrying thing is people all over the region will be affected."
The SRA plans to announce the new franchisee at the end of the month. Paul Latham, senior communications manager at SRA said: "We are continuing to discuss with South West trains to see if they will carry on the service.
Letters received by the Wiltshire Times will be sent to the SRA, west Wiltshire MP Dr Andrew Murrison and Transport Secretary Alistair Darling.
Send your letters to Save Our Train, Wiltshire Times, 15 Duke Street, Trowbridge, BA14 8EF or email wtimes@newswilts.co.uk
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