| Archived Save the Train forum articles - 2005 to 2010. See below
A Jacobs Future - 595/1776 Written by Lee on Monday, 30th October 2006 Had the Jacobs draft report (click on http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_foi/documents/page/dft_foi_612539.pdf) recommendations been accepted , then here is what we would have ended up with (in the words of Jacobs) : "Service restructuring with linking of services across Bristol Temple Meads to provide through journey opportunities and relieve platform occupancy." "Establishing a more regular two-hourly or hourly clockface repeating pattern of service." "Withdrawal of most train calls at very lightly used stations, e.g. Thornford , Chetnole." Along with the following Jacobs - recommended options : "Cardiff Re: A Jacobs Future - 595/1778 Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Monday, 30th October 2006 As I understand it, that's saying that there was better economic case with a Weston - Oxford service in the off peak, with Severn Beach all-rail, and with 4 more Swindon - westbury round trips ... I wonder why they didn't go for that? Re: A Jacobs Future - 595/1779 Written by Lee on Monday, 30th October 2006 As far as Melksham is concerned , the problem appears to lie in the following quote from the DfT / WCC letter exchange , Graham (link below.) http://www.wellho.net/dft_foi/dft20060719.pdf "for example , a 2-hourly Swindon - Southampton service was modelled , based on TEMPRO forecasts of population growth , and using standard industry modelling to assess passenger growth. The business case for such a service was negative." This was because the Jacobs Greater Western Franchise Replacement Outline Business Case Report , unlike the Jacobs draft report , DID NOT consider a Swindon - Westbury service. Even in the relatively benign Jacobs draft report , the southern section of the Swindon - Southampton service is described as follows : "This option tests the value of the Cardiff to Southampton services on the section south of Westbury where demand is known to be lightest." The recommendation? "Cardiff 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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