| Archived Save the Train forum articles - 2005 to 2010. See below
National Express Tipped To Win East Coast Main Line Franchise - 3392/6826 Written by Lee on Monday, 13th August 2007 The east coast main line will get a new operator this week when the Department for Transport names the winner of a keenly-contested battle between four of Britain Re: National Express Tipped To Win East Coast Main Line Franchise - 3392/6845 Written by courgettelawn on Tuesday, 14th August 2007 Just heard on the news that National Express have indeed won the East Coast franchise. It will be interesting to see whether they continue to operate in the manner of GNER. One hopes so. Re: National Express Tipped To Win East Coast Main Line Franchise - 3392/6855 Written by Lee on Tuesday, 14th August 2007 National Express Group PLC has won with a pledge to pay the government Re: National Express Tipped To Win East Coast Main Line Franchise - 3392/6891 Written by Lee on Wednesday, 15th August 2007 [quote author=courgettelawn link=topic=3392.msg6845#msg6845 date=1187075768]Just heard on the news that National Express have indeed won the East Coast franchise. Re: National Express Tipped To Win East Coast Main Line Franchise - 3392/6892 Written by courgettelawn on Wednesday, 15th August 2007 Being someone who just wants trains to run regularly and on time, I can forgive the caviar and champagne they obviously must be selling at those prices on the buffet cart! As for stupid advanced purchase tickets, said person cannot have traveled with First. Re: National Express Tipped To Win East Coast Main Line Franchise - 3392/6967 Written by Lee on Monday, 20th August 2007 National Express's award of the InterCity East Coast rail franchise has been thrown into doubt this weekend after the Office of Fair Trading revealed it is to investigate the company's suitability to run the business on competition grounds (link below.) http://www.rmtbristol.org.uk/2007/08/national_express_faces_oft_pro.html#more The Sunday Telegraph has learned National Express faces an inquiry over its potential dominance of both coach and rail services along the route between London, the North East and Scotland's east coast. Although the bus and rail operator dismissed the investigation as "routine" there is a worrying precedent for the company. In 1997 the Competition Commission forced National Express to sell its coach operation Scottish Citylink as a result of it winning the Scottish Rail franchise. Since then there have been five other investigations into franchise awards , three of them involving National Express and the overlap of its coach and rail operations. The OFT investigation and its decision on whether to instruct the Competition Commission to rule on the matter is likely to take some months. There is also an interesting article contained in the link below. http://www.rmtbristol.org.uk/2007/08/the_dignity_of_trains_is_in_lo.html#more link to index of articles |
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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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