THE year 2003 will be a double anniversary for the Oxford to Worcester rail service - or the Cotswold Line, as it is often known.

The line, which now serves Pershore, Evesham, Honeybourne, Moreton and Kingham, was officially opened 150 years ago and a group set up to help preserve and promote the service will be celebrating its silver jubilee this year.

The Cotswold Line Promotion Group was launched in 1978 and has since become the second largest rail user group in the country with nearly 2,000 members. The only larger group serves the historic Settle to Carlisle line, which was rescued from closure thanks to local pressure.

The Cotswold Line group was founded after several small stations such as Fladbury and Adlestrop has been closed and fears were growing that other stations may be under threat. At a public meeting in Moreton on March 11, 1978, more than 100 people turned out to support their railway and the promotion group was born.

Publicity officer Julian Palfrey, who has been with the group since it was founded, said the promotion group was not just a body for commuters or complaints. "We have always tried to be positive and create improvements by working in partnership with the train operators and other authorities," he explained. "It is all about improving the lot of the ordinary users of the stations, for some of whom the services are a real life-line.

"We used to say that we reached the parts that the old British Rail could not reach."

Successes of the group over the past 25 years include the reopening of Honeybourne station in 1980 and a big increase in the number of services along the line.

"When we started in 1978, Pershore Station, for example, only had four services stopping per day. Today about 25 trains stop there. Across the board the number of trains has increased by at least 100 per cent," he said. "We have the best level of service now since the Dr Beeching days of the 60s."

Another success of the group has been to encourage the development of integrated transport links along the line. More and more passengers in communities that have lost their stations are now able to get to the line by bus.

The group is currently fighting to safeguard Cheap Day Return tickets for the morning train into London Paddington, saying that changes could result in passengers having to pay more than 20 per cent extra for their tickets.

On a brighter note, a new Cotswold Line Railcard was introduced this week following pressure from the group. This £5 card will entitle holders to one third off single and cheap day returns along the line.

In the future, the group is planning to lend its weight to a campaign to reopen Chipping Campden station and reintroduce double tracks along the line.

These ambitions are likely to dominate conversation when group members and friends gather to celebrate their anniversary on March 11 with a dinner at the Manor House Hotel in Moreton.

The coming year marks the 150th anniversary of the opening of the Oxford to Worcester line on June 4, 1853. This milestone will be marked with a number of special trains and other events throughout the year.

For more information about the Cotswold Line Promotion Group and its work, log on to www.clpg.co.uk or contact secretary Brian Clayton on 01386 701528.