In reply to the letter by Angela Jones (Oxford Mail, June 10), I have to say that if I was an Appleford villager I would be just as frustrated by the reduction in train services that they have recently experienced. I do sympathise with them.

That said, I also note that their arguments to First Great Western are a little weak.

It has been stated that “126 out of the 276 adults in Appleford expressed a wish... to use the train more, if services were more frequent and affordable”.

Firstly, it’s quite impressive that the promises of just 126 people have managed to keep a station in service at all.

Secondly, and I think this is the key point, the quote said “...more affordable”. If buses in Oxford were “more affordable” it may be that nobody would drive in the centre at all. But realistically the prices aren’t going to go down, so may could mean that all 126 of these residents have no intention of using the train (because what would constitute more affordable? Free travel?).

Would any of these 126 have paid for a return to Oxford, Reading or London up front at the time of agreeing to the survey, in anticipation of actually using the train as they said? I doubt it.

My home village of Kidlington has a population of about 17,000, yet we lost our train station nearly 50 years ago.

I’m sure if I polled just a few streets of residents here I could get more than 1,000 people to agree that they would use the train if services were more frequent and affordable (oh, and if we got a station built on this less congested part of the line).

Don’t get me wrong, I’m all in favour of increased use of the train network, and closure of any station or reducing services to these stations is not good.

But, as First Great Western pointed out, it is a busy congested section of track, carrying not only local people in Oxfordshire but longer distance travellers from the Midlands to the South Coast.

It also carries a lot of freight which thankfully is taken off the roads.

I have no idea what the cost of stopping a train is in comparison to passing a station without stopping, but there will be a cost to it.

I expect that if the whole situation was viewed purely on a commercial basis, it would be shown that the revenue obtained from passengers using Appleford station doesn’t even cover the cost of maintaining the station itself.

Personally I would talk with the parish/district/county council to see if financial support can be given so that regular services are guaranteed, even if there are few of no passengers.

But although FGW may be a business and therefore their services are provided at least partly on the basis of commercial viability, councils too have limited budgets and have to spend them wisely to benefit as many residents, in as many ways as possible.

ALEX WILKINSON, Chamberlain Place, Kidlington