It’s good news that the Government has been persuaded to fund the Portishead-Bristol rail link: a project I have backed for a long time. But we also need investment in suburban rail services in other parts of the city, including in my Bristol East constituency, which currently has no railway stations. There is a strong case for re-opening the St Anne’s station, and, after some years of lobbying from myself and others, this proposal is now being taken seriously.

Following the news about the Portishead line, I have written to the West of England Metro Mayor and the Secretary of State for Transport, urging them to consider re-opening St Anne’s. I know this idea has lots of local support, and bringing local rail travel to that part of Bristol would vastly improve transport in the area.