| Archived Save the Train forum articles - 2005 to 2010. See below
Save the Train makes Wikipedia - 5144/9268 Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Thursday, 3rd January 2008 "We won't go without a fight" ... that's the approach we took at Save the Train when we learned that the TransWilts train service, linking the five major population centres of Wiltshire (and Southampton too) was to be withdrawn in December 2006. Objectives: 1. To get the case for an appropriate service noted 2. To get the case looked at PROPERLY 3. To get the outcome of that evaluation implemented. It's taken a long time and is still ongoing, but the case is far better know about these days ... we won't be swept under the carpet! ... and I see we have even made Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closure_by_stealth The case has been looked at much more thoroughly, and there is now common agreement that an appropriate service IS a regular train from Swindon to Westbury, and probably beyond to Frome or Salisbury, at least once every 2 hours. With sensible timing of peak services to give Swindon commuters at arrival at about 08:30 and a departure about 17:45. Now to get that properly implemented .... 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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