Great news! But now I really think that there should be a 3rd (bay) platform built at Cheltenham Spa. Now there are so many terminating Southbound services there (Bristol-Cheltenham, Swindon/Paddington-Cheltenham and now Maesteg-Cheltenham) things might get crowded with just 2 platforms!
Graz.
You obviously are not familiar with the layout at Cheltenham. There are two turnback sidings immediately to the north of Cheltenham station which terminating trains stable in until the time to commence their next service. I think they are referred to as the Alstom sidings.
Actually I am... I travelled there for over 3 years
and I did see on several occasions services that have been delayed by quite a bit, because of terminating trains 'using up' the platform while waiting for the signal to go into the sidings. It's also the case for trains in the sidings waiting for other delayed trains to leave the station, so they also become late. To me, a 3rd bay platform would make perfect sense, although the problem would be where it could go.
Anyway, it's a shame about the reduced service from Cheltenham Spa-Cam & Dursley and Yate, as many passengers from these stations were buying tickets to Cheltenham.
The attached report produced by the Cheltenham Chamber of Commerce as an alternative to the Gloucester Parkway scheme provides an interesting take on how more trains could be accommodated at Cheltenham Spa Station by building two bay platforms on the trackbed of the Honeybourne line. Of course, the obvious step then would be to extend the line half a mile along the line to provide a service that reaches close to the heart of the town and shopping centre.
So there would be 2 stations? It's interesting, but the current station isn't too far away from the centre as it is and there are regular buses.
