A NEW train timetable will see double the amount of services in the area.

A new hourly service between Worcester, Cheltenham, Gloucester and Bristol is being introduced next week by Great Western Railway.

The announcement has been welcomed by the Cotswold Line Promotion Group, which has campaigned for many years for improvements to the service connecting Worcester and the west of England.

“The extra services offer a real boost not only for passengers from Worcester and Ashchurch for Tewkesbury stations but also open up many other new journey opportunities,” said Cotswold Line Promotion Group publicity officer Julian Palfrey.

“Journeys to Bristol and the west from stations north of Worcester such as Kidderminster and Droitwich will also be made much easier with existing half hourly connecting services.” 

GWR’s new summer timetable will come into effect from Monday, May 22.

The hourly service will replace the current two-hourly service.

While the new services have been welcomed by the 1,300 members of the Cotswold Line Promotion Group, they have expressed “serious concerns” over the loss of services from Great Malvern to Bristol.

They have also raised concerns about certain connections from the Malvern stations for Cotswold Line services to Oxford and London.

A spokesperson for GWR explained that in order to introduce the new hourly service connecting Worcester and the west, they have had to remove less frequent services.

"This new timetable delivers on our and our customers' shared aspiration to introduce hourly, direct services between Worcester and Bristol, offering better value for money for taxpayers and providing better connections for more people. This has been made possible with funding from the West of England Combined Authority," the spokesperson said.

"In order to do so, however, we have had to remove some less frequent services connecting Great Malvern and Worcester. This will also help to ensure a more resilient and reliable timetable. 

"We will continue to monitor the situation and keep and changes under review."