| Archived Save the Train forum articles - 2005 to 2010. See below
Beeching 2 Background Article - 420/1242 Written by Lee on Sunday, 20th August 2006 Here is a link to a November 2004 Guardian article. http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,5068050-103630,00.html It contains a list of "the least-used lines in Britain." Here is the South West section of this list. St Erth-St Ives Truro-Falmouth Par-Newquay Liskeard-Looe Plymouth-Gunnislake Exmouth-Barnstaple Bristol-Severn Beach Bristol-Weymouth Swindon-Southampton All of the above services (including Bristol - Weymouth where service cuts to some intermediate stations were proposed) had cuts of some kind proposed in the original FGW Draft Timetable , which were based on what we now know to be dubious usage figures. Re: Beeching 2 Background Article - 420/1255 Written by Lee on Tuesday, 22nd August 2006 Here is a quote from the Network Rail Business Plan 2006 (Page 8 of the link below.) http://www.networkrail.co.uk/documents/3103_Route%204%20Wessex%20Routes.pdf "It not expected that any service enhancements are required on the line from Castle Cary to Dorchester (although journey time reductions are aspired to by local stakeholders and opportunities will be sought to achieve this in conjunction with other activity)." Here is how SLC2 attempted to address the issue above : F4 WESTBURY Re: Beeching 2 Background Article - 420/1266 Written by Lee on Wednesday, 23rd August 2006 Here are a couple of quotes from the Network Rail Business Plan 2006 : "The creation of the Greater Western franchise in April 2006 will see the introduction of a simplified train service structure for the route, particularly west of Taunton, from December 2006. This will eradicate some of the current service duplication and better meet existing demand." "Expenditure The age of rail and sleepers on the route is amongst the highest on the national network and varies between 30 and 40 years old and to address this we are implementing a track renewals strategy which matches the traffic usage of the route. This will include the deployment of Network Rail Re: Beeching 2 Background Article - 420/1272 Written by Lee on Thursday, 24th August 2006 [quote author=Lee link=topic=420.msg1242#msg1242 date=1156075217] Here is a link to a November 2004 Guardian article. http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,3858,5068050-103630,00.html It contains a list of "the least-used lines in Britain." Here is the South West section of this list. St Erth-St Ives Truro-Falmouth Par-Newquay Liskeard-Looe Plymouth-Gunnislake Exmouth-Barnstaple Bristol-Severn Beach Bristol-Weymouth Swindon-Southampton All of the above services (including Bristol - Weymouth where service cuts to some intermediate stations were proposed) had cuts of some kind proposed in the original FGW Draft Timetable , which were based on what we now know to be dubious usage figures. [/quote] Here are some quotes from the November 2004 Guardian article : "Tomorrow the Department of Transport will publish its community rail development strategy." "This promises a blueprint to save nearly 60 of the most under-used services in Britain. But other transport initiatives have prompted fears of a clear-out of under-performing services." "Rail experts say the axing of Britain's worst-performing services is long overdue. Subsidies for all rail services have ballooned to more than 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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