You can buy in advance at ticket offices and on board High Speed services. However, please note that Weekend First is not available in advance to holders of advance tickets; these tickets can, however, be upgraded on board, subject to availability.

A section of railway line could be moved to open up land in Filton for development.

But local councillors have already launched a campaign against the scheme. They fear hundreds of houses could be proposed for the 14 acres to the north-east of Conygre Grove and Canberra Grove. The land sits directly behind houses in Conygre Grove in an area Network Rail calls the Filton South West Quad. A total of six lines run through the quad, going east to Bristol Parkway station, north to Patchway station, south to Filton Abbey Wood station and west to Severnside.

Network Rail said the so-called chord line affected by the scheme mostly carried freight rather than passenger trains but acknowledged it was a major task to move it. The organisation said it was working with Bristol-based property developer Terramond on the project but that it was in its very early stages.

Network Rail spokeswoman Mavis Choong said the proposal was still at an early stage.

She said: "Network Rail is currently working with Terramond to explore the opportunity to provide around 14 acres of land for private development. As part of this proposal, Network Rail will be moving a chord line at Filton to bring a piece of brownfield land forward for development. The proposal is at the early stage of development and will require approval from the Office of Rail Regulations. Any income from the development will be re-invested to improve the railway."

Councillors said taking the line further back into the site would open up the front, where several hundred homes could be accommodated. They said local residents were alarmed at the prospect, especially as access would be from Filton Avenue and then residential roads.

Filton town councillor, John Tucker (Con, Conygre), lives in nearby Bude Road and said he had major concerns about the housing plan.

He said: "I'm particularly worried about the level of traffic. This would not just increase during construction on the site, but also the ongoing increase in vehicle movements. Site access is proposed only from Filton Avenue via existing and narrow residential roads. I think that idea is hugely inappropriate for the area. Our local roads simply cannot cope with such a development. I've started a local survey so nearby residents have a chance to express their views and have them passed to Network Rail."

Mr Tucker said there was currently only one entrance into the site, which would not be enough if hundreds of homes were built. There is also concern that development could include some warehousing. This could involve lorries going to and from the location.

He said: "The railway line is not terribly busy as it mostly carries freight at night but hundreds of homes would generate a lot of extra traffic around the area. Filton Avenue itself is already used as a rat-run and I think it is pretty dangerous."

If Network Rail gets its permission to move the line, planning consent for the development of the land would then be needed from South Gloucestershire Council. It said it would take all steps possible to prevent disruption to any rail services if the go-ahead was granted.

Bill Bryson leads legal efforts over railway litter

Green campaigners led by author Bill Bryson are launching legal efforts to get Network Rail to clear litter from England's railways. The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE^▸ (Campaign to Protect Rural England)) plans to use Litter Abatement Orders to make the rail infrastructure firm clear up certain sites. Mr Bryson, CPRE president, said the railways were "particularly, persistently bad" for litter.

Network Rail said it tried to clear litter within 20 days of being alerted.

But the CPRE says it is "frustrated with the filthy state of many of England's rail stations, railways and sidings".

Among a number of CPRE campaigners planning to use the orders (LAO), Mr Bryson is pushing for litter to be cleared from alongside tracks in Cambridgeshire. Other sites being targeted are: London Bridge station; St Austell in Cornwall; Hersham in Surrey; Ainsdale station on Merseyside; Clacton-on-Sea in Essex; Gravesend in Kent.

Mr Bryson said: "Network Rail has a legal obligation to clean litter and, in most places, as far as I can see, it's not just they don't do it often enough - they don't do it at all."

Pointing to bonuses totalling almost ^2.4m for Network Rail's top executives last year, Mr Bryson said: "If they've got time to do that, I think it's not unreasonable for us to expect them to fulfill their legal obligation to provide a clean environment."

'Every citizen's right'

If no reasonable action is taken by public land managers within five days of notification, LAO can be sought from the courts.

"This is something that it's every citizen's right to do," Mr Bryson said. "If you are confronted persistently with some sort of litter blight that you don't like, it is your right to take out a Litter Abatement Order."

He added: "Usually what happens is that it's the threat of the Litter Abatement Order that makes these duty bodies - as they're known, people who are responsible for public spaces - it's usually the threat of it that makes them finally get around to taking action."

In a statement, Network Rail said it was "surprised" by CPRE's plans to encourage the orders to be served on the company. The firm was a supporter of the new anti-litter Love Where You Live campaign and, after holding a meeting with CPRE last year, Network Rail had asked to speak to the body again but not been given a date, it said.

The statement said: "As one of Britain's biggest landowners we remove thousands of tonnes of litter every year. If reported by the public, we aim to remove litter within 20 days. Our dedicated maintenance teams regularly remove litter as part of their day-to-day responsibilities and we work closely with our contractors and projects to keep the areas in which they are working free of litter."

Essex girls' rail level crossing deaths case re-opened

An inquiry into the deaths of two girls at an Essex level crossing more than five years ago has been re-opened after the discovery of new evidence.

Olivia Bazlinton, 14, and Charlotte Thompson, 13, died when a train hit them at Elsenham in December 2005.

An unseen Network Rail risk report, which was written in 2002, considered locking the gates to the pedestrian crossing as trains approached.

The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about)) is reviewing the document.

Inspectors will look at whether it affects the outcome of their previously concluded investigation.

On Saturday Olivia's father Chris Bazlinton, 62, said the document was not released for the 2007 inquest by Network Rail and that amounted to "a cover-up".

Olivia and Charlotte were killed by an express train at Elsenham railway station on their way to Cambridge for a shopping trip.

The inquest jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

"The Office of Rail Regulation confirms it has recently received a copy of a key document which it had not seen previously, relating to the tragic double fatality at Elsenham level crossing in December 2005," said an ORR spokesman. "Press reports over the past few days have correctly reported that the record of a risk assessment undertaken in 2002 was not included in a bundle of documents provided to meet the inspector's request immediately after the accident."

A statement from Network Rail said: "The deaths of Olivia Bazlinton and Charlotte Thompson over five years ago, were a tragedy. It was also an accident, as the coroner's verdict clearly stated. The thoughts of Network Rail remain with the girls' families and friends. Every accidental death at a level crossing is tragic. Fortunately they are rare and Britain has a safety record that stands up well to international comparisons. Just this week Network Rail unveiled more measures to deter incidents at level crossings. Our awareness campaign began over six years ago and was commended by the coroner at Olivia and Charlotte's inquest."