Councillors have called on a regional daily to relaunch a 16-year-old campaign aimed at reopening a rail link on its patch.

Members of Newport City Council want the South Wales Argus to resume its ‘Get us back on track’ campaign, launched in 2002 in a bid to reopen a rail passenger line between Newport and Ebbw Vale.

Conservative councillor Matthew Evans told a meeting of the authority that a revival of the campaign could help the efforts of politicians at local and national level to bring the delayed plans forward.

The Argus says it has been looking into relaunching the campaign “for some time”.

The Argus front page from July 2002 (right) which launched the paper’s original ‘Get Us Back On Track’ campaign

Cllr Evans told his fellow councillors: “The link would be stimulating for the economy. [Newport Welsh Assembly Members] John Griffiths and Jayne Bryant have both called the link crucial.

“It’s frustrating that it’s taken an awfully long time to try and get things done. We’ve been talking about this since the last century.”

The idea received cross-party support from other members.

After the meeting, Argus editor Nicole Garnon said: “I have been looking into relaunching the campaign for some time, as it is ridiculous that nothing has been done in the 16 years since its launch.”