Ashchurch added as extra stop on train to Paddington

An extra stop has been added to the early First Great Western service to Paddington, picking up commuters at Ashchurch near Tewkesbury.

Gloucestershire County Council has worked with the train company to add the stop on the 05:40 GMT train, which arrives in London at 08:00.

The service will run on weekdays as part of a year-long trial.

There is no parking charge for people leaving a car at the new stop at Ashchurch.

'Rural isolation'

"It means a great deal," said John Stretton, from the Ashchurch, Tewkesbury and District Rail Promotion Group.

"We have been pushing for three years to get a direct train to London, to satisfy the demands of the people of Tewkesbury."

The new stop has also been welcomed as "excellent news for the local community" by Gordon Shurmer, county councillor for Ashchurch, Cleeve and Oxenton Hill.

"It will help local commuters who previously had to drive elsewhere to pick up a service and also helps address the rural isolation that some residents suffer," he said.