THE next step was taken in the fight to save the threatened Waterloo-west Wiltshire train when campaigners met the trains minister last week.

A delegation including councillors from Westbury, Warminster and Bradford on Avon and members of the West Wiltshire Rail Users Group met Derek Twigg MP to encourage him to include the service in the new South Western franchise.

Potential buyers are being invited to bid for the franchise at the end of March, but at the moment the Waterloo train, which serves Westbury, Trowbridge, Bradford and Warminster, is not included.

If the route is not in the invitation to tender it will only survive if bidders offer it as a commercial service outside the franchise.

Cllr Paul O'Callaghan, who is spearheading the campaign in Bradford, said: "The meeting went well. Mr Twigg said he hadn't made his mind up whether he would include it in the franchise and invited us to speak to the five bidders."

He said supporters of the train were also concerned at the news that under the new franchise trains from Bath and Bristol would be limited, meaning the last trains to Westbury would arrive around 9pm. Westbury councillor Pamela Cox-Maidment said she had concerns if the Waterloo train was scrapped it would mean passengers would be forced to pay more for an alternative route.

She said: "The Westbury- Paddington service is one of the most expensive in Europe and costs 60 per cent more than the Waterloo line.

"The west Wiltshire-Waterloo route is very important to many people and needs to be accessible. It is important for commuters and tourism."

She pointed out that every prospective army officer who attended the Royal Commissions Board in Westbury is given a rail pass which would be affected if the route was scrapped.