| Archived Save the Train forum articles - 2005 to 2010. See below
Salisbury - Bath Bus services - 4675/8533 Written by Nick Field on Friday, 9th November 2007 Heard on the Radio this morning that the X4 service linking Salisbury to Bath is to be scrapped, also rumoured that the Salisbury to Swindon could be the next to go. Cant find any online articles regarding this yet. Re: Salisbury - Bath Bus services - 4675/8534 Written by Lee on Friday, 9th November 2007 [quote author=Nick Field link=topic=4675.msg8533#msg8533 date=1194597406] Heard on the Radio this morning that the X4 service linking Salisbury to Bath is to be scrapped, also rumoured that the Salisbury to Swindon could be the next to go. Cant find any online articles regarding this yet. [/quote] Good grief :o I would be gobsmacked if that happens. Re: Salisbury - Bath Bus services - 4675/8536 Written by Nick Field on Friday, 9th November 2007 Press release re Salisbury - Bath X4 service: http://www.wdbus.co.uk/htm/news/newsbody.asp?id=142 They had and 'insider' on the radio show who mentioned that the same fate may await the Salisbury - Swindon services but its just speculation at the moment. Re: Salisbury - Bath Bus services - 4675/8537 Written by Lee on Friday, 9th November 2007 They appear to be blaming 1) reduction in public funding. Was the X4 a beneficiary of Kickstart funding? Would the same fate await the Chippenham - Calne - Wooton Bassett - Swindon service? 2) inadequate concessionary fare agreements for the over 60s Parliamentary questions are increasingly being asked on that issue. I suppose that this could leave Fleur de-Rhe Phillipe's fabled Key Bus Route Network (if it ever truly existed in the first place) in complete tatters. So , what public transport alternatives to these particular bus services do we have waiting in the wings , I wonder......... Re: Salisbury - Bath Bus services - 4675/8541 Written by Lee on Friday, 9th November 2007 WCC source quote : We are disappointed with Wilts & Dorset bus company Re: Salisbury - Bath Bus services - 4675/8547 Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Saturday, 10th November 2007 This business of splitting bus routes was covered at the Travel Watch South West meeting just over a month ago, and I posted up a few more details - see http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=706.0 There was an element of opinion that suggested that the bus companies are "fat cats" looking to take advantage of the situations of having to shorten routes, and having to carry much larger number of passengers at much lower fares - and I'm sure that it's in their commercial interest to see how they get the best out of each change to ratchet up their returns to shareholders who are (after all) their main reason for being in business. But looking on a more positive side - wouldn't the splitting of the routes be a positive incentive to make appropriate use of road and rail and integrate them much more positively? How about making a virtue out of the changes and dividing the Salisbury - Bath bus route at Warminster of Westbury train station, with timings worked out to make for good connections? You then have the much slower bus taking the intermediate and local traffic, transferring people onto the train for rapid movement over the longer distances. Re: Salisbury - Bath Bus services - 4675/8549 Written by Lee on Saturday, 10th November 2007 [quote author=Graham Ellis link=topic=4675.msg8547#msg8547 date=1194685813]But looking on a more positive side - wouldn't the splitting of the routes be a positive incentive to make appropriate use of road and rail and integrate them much more positively? Re: Salisbury - Bath Bus services - 4675/8639 Written by Lee on Thursday, 15th November 2007 Here is a further article on this (link below.) http://thisisbath.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=163490&command=displayContent&sourceNode=163316&contentPK=18965788&folderPk=89126&pNodeId=163047 Interesting quotes from David Redgewell (Campaign For Better Transport) : "It would be an absolute disaster if the Bath-Salisbury services were withdrawn. It would hit a very large number of people." He said many X4 and X5 passengers had transferred from travelling by rail at a time when trains between Bristol , Bath and Salisbury were increasingly packed. "What would these people do if the Bath-Salisbury buses were withdrawn?" Mr Redgewell said. Re: Salisbury - Bath Bus services - 4675/8643 Written by WyvusArconius on Thursday, 15th November 2007 This is surely the best time to really bang the drum about the transwilts. From what Graham reported back from WCC, they seem to not be anywhere near providing any kind of financial support for rail issues. However, with this bus issue now looming, could a concerted effort from us and other concerns push WCC to be more outspoken about an improved rail service. Perhaps they could even be persuaded to lend support to an exploration of the potiental use of restored services, which would in turn support our case for dec 08. Thoughts anyone? Wyvus Re: Salisbury - Bath Bus services - 4675/8646 Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Thursday, 15th November 2007 [quote author=WyvusArconius link=topic=4675.msg8643#msg8643 date=1195140660] This is surely the best time to really bang the drum about the transwilts. From what Graham reported back from WCC, they seem to not be anywhere near providing any kind of financial support for rail issues. However, with this bus issue now looming, could a concerted effort from us and other concerns push WCC to be more outspoken about an improved rail service. Perhaps they could even be persuaded to lend support to an exploration of the potiental use of restored services, which would in turn support our case for dec 08. Thoughts anyone? Wyvus [/quote] I fear that they will spend more money with Wilts and Dorset or First and buy back the service with a subsidy ... then tell us that they can afford to support the trains even less because they're having to pay even more for the buses. Re: Salisbury - Bath Bus services - 4675/8666 Written by Lee on Friday, 16th November 2007 Here is a Wiltshire Times article on this (link below.) http://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/latestheadlines/display.var.1834683.0.anger_as_bus_service_is_scrapped.php Interesting quote from regular Wilts & Dorset passenger Betty Parr , of Winsley : "I like to use it because their buses are far superior to First's." "They are much more clean and comfortable and they have regular drivers so you get to know them and they are more reliable." Re: Salisbury - Bath Bus services - 4675/8867 Written by Lee on Friday, 30th November 2007 Interesting related article (link below.) http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7107057.stm Re: Salisbury - Bath Bus services - 4675/9013 Written by Lee on Wednesday, 12th December 2007 From the First Great Western Coffee Shop Forum : [quote author=Timmer link=topic=1192.msg6197#msg6197 date=1197403491] Attached is a pdf of the new timetable for the new services replacing the current X4 Bath-Salisbury service. http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/southwest/bristol/service_changes/264-265-Jan08.pdf Summary is that First are bringing back the old 264/265 services which will operate between Bath-Warminster which will connect with a new service 24 which will be operated by Wilts and Dorset between Warminster-Salisbury. Sure its no longer a through service Bath-Salisbury but its still a reasonably good compromise service being offered with a change at Warminster with through tickets still available. [/quote] You may also find the links below relevant. http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/drs/drivingforwork/drivershoursandtachographrules/drivershourtachographrules.pdf http://www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/open/euroadtransportproposals/ Re: Salisbury - Bath Bus services - 4675/12158 Written by Lee on Tuesday, 6th May 2008 Wilts and Dorset has lost the number 24 service to a rival bus and coach provider (link below.) http://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/display.var.2243373.0.no_24_bus_changes_hands.php The contract for the service, which replaced the X4 and X5 service, was won by Bodmans after a tender was put out two months ago. Concerns that Bodmans' buses were too old fashioned have been put to rest after Bodmans assured new buses would be provided. The contract is due to start from June 1 and will cover services between Salisbury and Warminster. 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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