Ingatestone Rail Users Association has received unanimous support from Brentwood Borough Council in its fight to stop Anglia Railways' plan to stop services calling at Ingatestone.

The association has called a public meeting for residents at the United Reformed Church Hall, High Street, Ingatestone on Monday, January 21, 2002 at 8pm.

Rail users started a petition to stop Anglia Railways' plan when they saw a draft timetable of services for summer 2002.

Under the plan seven inter-city services are threatened.

These services stop at Ingatestone at 6.54am, 9.54am, 12.24pm and 6.25pm on their way from Norwich to Liverpool Street.

Three return services from Liverpool Street will also be affected - the 8.30am, 12.30pm and 2.30pm.

The proposed service cuts are still under consultation with passenger groups.

If the seven Anglia Railways services are cut, Ingatestone rail users will be reliant on First Great Eastern services.

Brentwood councillor Richard Harrison said: "I am not very happy about this. It really is most unfortunate."

"It's going to have an enormous knock-on effect. Upwards of 100 people in the community get on at these times and as a result the trains they will have to get on will have problems further down the line."

Ingatestone Rail Users Association chairman Richard Enever wrote to First Great Eastern asking a representative to attend the public meeting but he declined.

First Great Eastern Sales and Marketing director Theo Steel wrote to Mr Enever, stating the organisation could not provide a competitive half-hourly Ingatestone service outside peak times.

Mr Steel said: "In view of this I see absolutely no point in re-opening the subject at a public meeting and will therefore decline to attend your January meeting."

Published Thursday December 27, 2001