Save the Melksham Train
Archived Save the Train forum articles - 2005 to 2010. See below
New Minister for Transport - 226/577
Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Saturday, 6th May 2006

Congratulations to Douglas Alexander on his appointment as Transport Secretary.

Re: New Minister for Transport - 226/578
Written by Sion Bretton on Saturday, 6th May 2006

Lets hope so

Re: New Minister for Transport - 226/587
Written by Lee on Sunday, 14th May 2006

Some more info on Douglas Alexander.

BBC Profile.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4978680.stm

Parliamentary Details (Unsurprisingly classed as "Never Rebels")
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/douglas_alexander/paisley_and_renfrewshire_south

Official Website.
http://www.douglasalexander.labour.co.uk/

Guardian Profile. (Some interesting comments....)
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,,-48,00.html

Had a fun day trying out First's "Streetcar" in York.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2174706.html
http://www.firstgroup.com/ftr/home.php

Quote from "The Political Animal" by Jeremy Paxman.

"Douglas Alexander , who entered the House Of Commons in 1997 , and his sister Wendy , who was elected to the first new Scottish parliament , were the children of a Church Of Scotland minister and a doctor. "We used to discuss politics over Sunday lunch , after church , " he told me. They belong to the new breed of professionals in politics , technicians comfortably at home in the new Labour party."

First major speech as Transport Secretary (It would be fair to say that he is a Road Pricing fan.)
http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_about/documents/page/dft_about_611647.hcsp

Re: New Minister for Transport - 226/892
Written by Lee on Saturday, 15th July 2006

[quote author=Graham Ellis link=topic=226.msg577#msg577 date=1146889423]
Congratulations to Douglas Alexander on his appointment as Transport Secretary.

Re: New Minister for Transport - 226/914
Written by Lee on Monday, 17th July 2006

Here is a link to a similiar article.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/5187370.stm



Re: New Minister for Transport - 226/955
Written by Lee on Friday, 21st July 2006

Here is a link to the launch of the Edinburgh Transport Questionnaire.
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/edinburgh.cfm?id=1055152006

Re: New Minister for Transport - 226/980
Written by Lee on Monday, 24th July 2006

However , its not all good news for Scotland's railways (link below.)
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1066772006

Re: New Minister for Transport - 226/989
Written by Lee on Monday, 24th July 2006

The bill which will restore the rail link between Edinburgh and the Borders has been given Royal Assent (link below.)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/5210922.stm

Work on the

 
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


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