Save the Melksham Train
Archived Save the Train forum articles - 2005 to 2010. See below
New Year Fare Rises - 5127/9241
Written by Lee on Monday, 31st December 2007

Rises of up to 15% apparently planned (links below.)
http://www.rmtbristol.org.uk/2007/12/_passenger_fury_as_rail_fares.html#more

http://www.rmtbristol.org.uk/2007/12/11_rail_fare_rise_fury_in_257m.html#more

http://www.theresavilliers.co.uk/article/?id=323&PHPSESSID=ab5612b403cb0e76ad9e24c9b62013bf

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article3116000.ece

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article3115954.ece

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/leading_article/article3115638.ece

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7167367.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7166663.stm

Re: New Year Fare Rises - 5127/9266
Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Thursday, 3rd January 2008

Quote from the Oxford Mail's Reader comments:

"I leave on time, always get a seat, can listen to music/radio and I don't have to stand on cold platforms waiting for delayed trains. If the Govt wants to know why I and many others drive everywhere, they need to look no further than the abyssmal rail service.

I do feel very sorry for any poor soul who has to catcha train anywhere in this country. ripped off and treated like a freshly laid cow pat."

That's follow up to an article concerning the percentage increase for Oxford - London commuters, which is far higher than the percentage increase for Swindon - London commuters (but still leaves Oxford commuters with a much lower fare - a point the article seems to have missed):
http://oxfordmail.net/display.var.1935938.0.0.php


Re: New Year Fare Rises - 5127/9267
Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Thursday, 3rd January 2008

New Melksham to London return fares ... checked out for tomorrow ...

115.00 Standard (07:17 -> 09:06)
133.00 Standard (Also valid on 06:43 -> 08:38)
138.50 Standard (to include a travel card)

"Single fares from 8.50" says the web page that gave me those fares for tomorrow .. but click on the "singles fares" page at the best it gave me was 47.00 (to London on the 06:43) and 48.50 (back on the 17:45)

I think these fares price rail travel out of the market; you'll do better to book two tickets with a "split" - try Melksham to Didcot and Didcot to London (but you must catch a train from Swindon that stops at Didcot)

Re: New Year Fare Rises - 5127/9269
Written by Lee on Thursday, 3rd January 2008

Further article link.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7167821.stm

Re: New Year Fare Rises - 5127/9277
Written by Sion Bretton on Thursday, 3rd January 2008

Hi
Last week day return Melksham to Bristol

Re: New Year Fare Rises - 5127/9281
Written by courgettelawn on Thursday, 3rd January 2008

Similar increases on the Salisbury to Southampton leg.  Now hit the magic

Re: New Year Fare Rises - 5127/9321
Written by Lee on Monday, 7th January 2008

Christian Wolmar's view (link below.)
http://www.christianwolmar.co.uk/articles/standard/dec24,07.shtml

Plus an interesting article by Rod Liddle that doesnt show FGW in the greatest of lights (link below.)
http://www.rmtbristol.org.uk/2008/01/bring_back_british_rail_all_is.html#more

 
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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