| Archived Save the Train forum articles - 2005 to 2010. See below
Anger all over the South West - we're a little boat on a big stormy sea now. - 194/468 Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Monday, 20th March 2006 It seems that a lot of people are upset at the mauling of the ex-Wessex Trains services under the new Great Western Franchise - not quite a case of the victor in the battel for the franchise weilding their sword over the old network and slashing big bits off (the decision is blamed on the DfT) but they're certainly doing the bidding. Somewhere upwards of 3000 responses were received to First's timetable consultation that closed on 8th March and I suspect that figure was much more than they expected. Re: Anger all over the South West - we're a little boat on a big stormy sea now. - 194/469 Written by Nick Field on Wednesday, 22nd March 2006 There is an article in the latest 'Rail' magazine about the new Greater Western franchise, basically saying that a lot of the good work Wessex have done over that past few years promoting services / ensuring good connections etc etc has been destroyed with the new timetable. Re: Anger all over the South West - we're a little boat on a big stormy sea now. - 194/470 Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Wednesday, 22nd March 2006 The decision has just been taken that the Northern Rail review which is underway will NOT cut jobs / services .. apparently they're being run well. It's difficult to see much difference between that and Wessex, except that Northern runs through a lot more marginal constituinces, I think ... or perhaps it's because they realise just how badly wrong they have got it in the South West ... link to index of articles |
|||
Save the Train was the campaign to bring an approriate train service back to and through Melksham. Most big contributors are still around writing at the Coffee shop forum where new members are very welcome. The train has been saved - sort of - we have stepped back up from an unusable service to a poorish one but it's doing very well. We did that through setting up the TransWilts Community Rail Partnership. That fulfilled its early objectives; it has been taken over by local and regional government types who are now doing medium and long term work. The team from this forun can also be found at the Melksham Rail User Group (which was the Melksham Rail Development Group at the time these articles were written and we had no users. We mustn't loose sight, though, that the train service remains poor and needs our community support in marketing and campaigning to keep it going in a positive direction ... and all the more so when we're expecting to find a different normallity once we get out of the Coronavirus Pandemic and head for zero carbon via the climate crisis. Yes, it's saved ... it's now a key community facility ... the need for enhancement and the strong and near-universal local support remain, and the rail industry and goverment remain slow to move and provide the enhancements even to level us up with other towns. Please support the Melksham Rail User Group - now very much in partnership rather than protest with the rail industry and local government, including GWR, TransWilts and unitary and town councils. And please use the trains and buses, and cycle and walk when you can. -- Graham Ellis, (webmaster), February 2021 | |||
|
|||
Further Information:
Home
Current Summary
Daily update
User forum
Consultation
Service now
Service future
Future Analysis
Recent Statistics
Recent letters
Letter to DfT
Save the train
Presentation
Support us
Other Maps
Station facilities
Station approach
Pictures
Trains diverted
History
About Melksham
Site Map
About this site