SOMERSET County Council is calling on rail operator First Great Western to think again about proposed changes to its timetable.

The new timetable, due to come into operation in December (2006), would particularly affect travellers from Frome and Yeovil.

But the changes would have a more positive impact on people commuting to and from Taunton.

Hazel Prior-Sankey, Portfolio Holder for Transport, said: "The council feels strongly that the proposed timetable is a retrograde step particularly in delivering the local, regional and national aims for tackling road congestion and improving access to basic services such as jobs and healthcare.

"The proposals would result in the loss of semi-fast services from Paddington to Exeter and, whilst this will see more trains stopping at Taunton which is to be welcomed, off-peak there will be no stops between Taunton and Reading on every other service. This results in very poor connections at Castle Cary, which is a key point of interchange in the region."

The County Council also finds unacceptable proposals for trains from Castle Cary to arrive at Westbury about eight minutes after onward trains to Newbury have already departed, resulting in waiting times of almost two hours for the next train.

"These proposals mean that Frome and Bruton would have very poor London connections all day, and regional connectivity using these services would be much reduced," added Hazel Prior-Sankey.

"Yeovil is identified as a regionally significant settlement and as such is expected to accommodate significant new growth over the next few years. It is particularly important to maintain strong public transport links between Yeovil and the rest of the region and to reduce the impact of traffic congestion on the strategic road network, which includes the A303 and A358."

The only element of the proposed timetable the County Council welcomes are improvements to services between Taunton and Bristol, which would give Bridgwater and Highbridge an hourly service for the first time.