EVEN in these tough economic times it makes sense to spend £37 million on reopening the railway link between Bristol and Portishead.

It may sound an astonishing amount of money simply to lay three miles of track from Portbury and upgrade the line through the Avon Gorge, but one thing is certain – it is not going to get any cheaper.

And fear of the cost is no reason to reject this plan.

Building, extending or reopening railways is always expensive.

But the benefits are considerable and lasting.

The obvious advantage of re-establishing a railway link to Portishead is that it would give the thousands of daily commuters caught up in traffic an alternative way of getting to and from work.

Have no doubt that once the railway was running, people would use it.

And for every person who travels by train, there will be one car less on the roads.

That will ease congestion, ease pollution and make the daily journey into work smoother for everyone.

The important thing is that the £37m is not seen simply as a huge bill, but instead as an investment for the future.

The rail link will benefit the town for years, if not generations, ahead.

This work should have been done when the track to Portbury was relaid. Now it is more needed than ever.