From the previous news article:
Together with Gloucestershire County Council, the train operators agreed last December that the 5.21am train from Worcester to London Paddington would stop at 5.40am at Ashchurch. And with an average of 15 people a week using the service, First Great Western has now decided to make the extra stop permanent.
The county council agreed last year to put ^13,000 into the project ^12,000 of that for fuel, and ^1,000 for a new sign for drivers.
First Great Western will now take over the full costs of the stop.
So, now that those new signs are installed, the only ongoing cost of that additional service (which First Great Western will cover) is the ^12,000 for fuel over the year. As grahame says, looks like common sense ...
Interestingly, had about 80% of the additional fare box income gone to the
DfT» as it would under cap and collar until last autumn, it would have made a lot less common sense. Such was the way that innovations were slugged, and it's good to see new shoots of innovation such as this one.