Great Western Coffee Shop

First Great Western is delighted to announce additional Saturday services for Ascott-under-Wychwood, between Great Malvern and Paddington, for the weeks running up to Christmas.

First Great Western Station Manager for the North Cotswold Line Teresa Ceesay said: ^Continuing to support local communities, I am delighted to announce that once again we will call additionally at Ascott during the busy weekends before Christmas and our fares are also good value when compared with the cost of driving and parking.^

The extra Ascott stops will take place from Saturday 1 December to Saturday 22 December, between Hereford and London Paddington and London Paddington and Great Malvern.

Services will be:
^        Hereford to London Paddington, calls at Ascott at 09.04
^        London Paddington to Great Malvern, calls at Ascott at 12.47
^        London Paddington to Great Malvern, calls at Ascott at 16.45

An additional stop will also be made on Saturday 1 December Great Malvern to London Paddington service, calling at 19.00, to support the Worcester Christmas Market.

Ascott-under-Wychwood shoppers get back on track for Christmas

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The 7.10am from Hereford to London slows down for its special stop at Ascott-under-Wychwood on December 3 last year

Villagers in West Oxfordshire will get another chance to catch a train to do their Christmas shopping and back efforts to get their station a regular Saturday service.

For the second year running, at the request of the Cotswold Line Promotion Group, trains will make special stops at Ascott-under-Wychwood on Saturdays in December, giving residents the chance of a trip by Rail to Oxford or London, or an outing to Worcester^s Victorian Christmas Fayre.

The West Oxfordshire station lost its Saturday services in December 2006, leaving it with just one weekday train into Oxford and one back.

Nearby Shipton station, which serves Shipton-under-Wychwood and Milton-under-Wychwood, sees eight First Great Western trains calling on Saturdays.

Ascott^s station was given a second platform last year as part of Network Rail^s project to reinstate double track on 20 miles of the Oxford-Worcester route.

The CLPG wants to see Saturday calls at the station reinstated and hopes another good response by villagers to this year^s special stops will encourage the operator chosen to run Great Western services when a new franchise is awarded to consider operating regular services.

Last year, dozens of passengers took advantage of the extra trains.

CLPG chairman John Ellis said: ^We hope that there will be an even greater take-up this year, and help us in our efforts to get more trains stopping at Ascott and Shipton for the benefit of residents in the Wychwoods and Burford.^

The group also hopes the trains will also attract visitors to the Wychwoods area, including walkers seeking a car-free day out in the Cotswolds.

First Great Western^s Cotswold Line stations manager Teresa Ceesay said: ^Our fares are good value when compared with the cost of driving and parking.^

The following trains will stop at Ascott on Saturdays December 1, 8, 15 and 22:
- The 7.10am from Hereford to London will call at 9.04am. The train is due to arrive in Oxford at 9.25am and London Paddington at 10.29am.
- The 11.21am from Paddington to Worcester and Great Malvern, which leaves Oxford at 12.23pm, will call at Ascott at 12.47pm and the 3.21pm from Paddington to Great Malvern (4.23pm from Oxford) will stop at Ascott at 4.45pm.
- On December 1 only, the 5.49pm from Great Malvern (6.02pm from Worcester Foregate Street) will call at Ascott at 7pm to bring home afternoon visitors to the Worcester Christmas Fayre.

Yuletide train stops raise hope for Saturday services

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Stop: A train at Ascott-under-Wychwood

Christmas shoppers from Ascott-under-Wychwood will be able to let the train take the strain again this year.

For the third year running, train operator First Great Western is laying on special Saturday stops at the village^s station for four weekends in the run-up to Christmas.

The initiative is backed by the Cotswold Line Promotion Group, which wants to see the reinstatement of regular Saturday services from the station and is urging residents to show their support for the idea by taking advantage of the extra trains.

John Ellis, the chairman of the CLPG, said: ^We warmly welcome this further opportunity for residents in the Wychwoods and surrounding villages to have the opportunity to do Christmas shopping by rail, and we appreciate First Great Western^s provision of these services again. We hope that residents in the local communities will make full use of the trains, both to Worcester, and to Oxford, London, and other destinations. The CLPG will continue to campaign for more services to stop at Shipton and Ascott, and heavy use of these Christmas trains will help our campaign by showing the communities would value more services.^

Dozens of passengers have used the special Christmas services in the past two years.

Ascott^s Saturday services were withdrawn in 2006, leaving just a skeleton service of one train into Oxford and one back on weekdays.

By comparison, nearby Shipton station, which serves Shipton-under-Wychwood and Milton-under-Wychwood, sees eight trains calling on Saturdays.

The special stops will allow Ascott residents to travel into Oxford and London, while on November 30 there will also be the chance to visit Worcester^s Victorian Christmas Fayre or Great Malvern for the afternoon.

It is also hoped walkers may take the chance to explore the area around Ascott without needing to drive there.

FGW^s Cotswold Line stations manager Teresa Ceesay said: ^First Great Western is committed to supporting the communities we serve. Following the success of similar Christmas timetable amendments, we are delighted to be able to provide these additional stops at Ascott-under-Wychwood again.^

Timetable for services

The following trains will stop at Ascott on the Saturdays of November 30 and December 7, 14 and 21:

The 7.10am from Hereford to London will call at 9.03am. The train is due to arrive in Oxford at 9.28am and London Paddington at 10.29am.
The 11.21am from Paddington to Worcester and Great Malvern, which leaves Oxford at 12.23pm, will call at Ascott at 12.48pm, reaching Worcester at 1.44pm and Great Malvern at 2pm.
The 3.21pm from Paddington to Great Malvern (4.23pm from Oxford) will stop at Ascott at 4.45pm.
In addition, on November 30 only, the 5.49pm from Great Malvern (6.06pm from Worcester Foregate Street) will call at Ascott at 6.59pm to bring home afternoon visitors to Malvern and the Worcester Victorian Christmas Fayre.