| Archived Save the Train forum articles - 2005 to 2010. See below
Kenilworth - 419/1239 Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Sunday, 20th August 2006 I had a customer with me last week who lives in Kenilworth ... train user, but has to get a bus to the nearest station or drive there. Re: Kenilworth - 419/1240 Written by Lee on Sunday, 20th August 2006 [quote author=Graham Ellis link=topic=419.msg1239#msg1239 date=1156061098]It also shows, looking on a rather more positive side, that someone's prepared to look at redoubling a line where necessary[/quote] As you know , Graham , I am a strong advocate of doubling the Melksham line , as I feel that it is the only viable option to safeguard the future of the Melksham passenger service beyond the medium - term. Re: Kenilworth - 419/11302 Written by Lee on Friday, 4th April 2008 Well, your contact should be celebrating tonight, Graham, as it looks like the Kenilworth station campaign has taken a major step forward (link below.) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/coventry_warwickshire/7331352.stm Re: Kenilworth - 419/11305 Written by Industry Insider on Friday, 4th April 2008 Kenilworth is an interesting case and very similar in many ways to the village of Kidlington, which although it's a village still has a population of 17000 (compared with 22000 at Kenilworth). They're interesting because they are both fairly large population centres which have a regular train service passing through and station re-opening has been mooted over the years at both locations. The problem with both is that the regular trains passing through are long-distance Cross Country services. The lack of a suitable local service hinders the case for the station as operators of the long distance trains have understandably been concerned with stopping long distance trains at such places. Kidlington is slightly better off in that there is a local service from Oxford to Banbury, but this is not a regular service and is weighted heavily towards peak-hour flows. Just stopping those trains would give a Melksham-esque situation where the service is inappropriate and unlikely to fulfill its potential unless the longer-distance trains stop there too. The quote Lee has used is the first time I can remember the incumbent operator expressing such support for a station, but, as ever, there's a long way to go! Re: Kenilworth - 419/11306 Written by Lee on Friday, 4th April 2008 Its interesting that you should mention Kidlington, Industry Insider, as a 5,000-home development scheme at the disused Shipton Quarry site near there, which would have included a new rail station, has failed to make the "eco-town" cut (links below.) http://www.oxfordmail.net/news/headlines/display.var.2046026.0.ecotown_will_harm_wildlife.php http://www.oxfordmail.net/news/headlines/display.var.2168001.0.weston_eco_town_plans_take_step_forward.php Re: Kenilworth - 419/11327 Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Saturday, 5th April 2008 [quote author=Lee link=topic=419.msg11302#msg11302 date=1207342312] Well, your contact should be celebrating tonight, Graham, as it looks like the Kenilworth station campaign has taken a major step forward (link below.) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/coventry_warwickshire/7331352.stm [/quote] It really makes huge sense where you've got a population of 20,000 or more within 3 km of the railway to provide a service, doesn't it? Especially where the population bubble is a small town ... with people's typical journeys in and out over the short distance for which a bus might be better suited! 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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