IT DOES not surprise us one iota that the bus link connecting Rogerstone station to Newport city centre is attracting so few passengers.

Put simply, it is not what people want.

And, in our view, the lack of support for it should not be taken as any indication of the level of demand there would be for a direct railway link from Ebbw Vale to Newport.

It is just not a fair measure.

Regular readers of this column will know just how long we have been campaigning for the railway line.

We still have not heard any real argument as to why it has not become a reality already and we can see no reason why there are still no concrete plans in place.

The re-opening of the railway line between Ebbw Vale and Cardiff has been a huge hit, with passengers from all those communities now with a direct link to the capital city.

But we also believe the direct link to Newport would be just as successful.

The trouble with the bus link is that it makes the journey that little bit more difficult and that little bit longer.

In other words, it puts people off.

The fact that so few people are using the bus link may well lead to it being taken away.

But for us, the solution is obvious: get the rail link working and the passenger numbers will follow.