| Archived Save the Train forum articles - 2005 to 2010. See below
Melksham to Bow Brickhill - 640/1928 Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Monday, 13th November 2006 I'm working this week in Milton Keynes ... a truely awful journey from Melksham however you do it. Re: Melksham to Bow Brickhill - 640/1958 Written by Lee on Thursday, 16th November 2006 [quote author=Graham Ellis link=topic=640.msg1928#msg1928 date=1163445535]In terms of trackwork, you're looking at Bicester to Bletchly (and perhaps the rails are still there)?[/quote] According to the link below (which also contains excellent historical details & photos) : http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/s/swanbourne/index.shtml "The section between Oxford & Bicester London Road was reopened on 15.5.1989 and in 2001 the Strategic Rail Authority looked into reopening the remaining part of the line for passengers between Bicester and Bletchley but this proposal has now been rejected." "The junction at Bletchley was severed some years ago and the track has now been lifted back to Swanbourne. Between Swanbourne and the junction with the Great Central at Claydon a single track is still in situ but now heavily overgrown and out of use; level crossing gates have been removed and replaced with permanent fencing. This section is officially listed as 'mothballed'. From Claydon Junction to Oxford the line is in regular use as part of the freight line between Aylesbury and Oxford." Here is a photo of "the end of the line" at Swanbourne (link below.) http://www.subbrit.org.uk/sb-sites/stations/s/swanbourne/index20.shtml Re: Melksham to Bow Brickhill - 640/1966 Written by Nick Field on Friday, 17th November 2006 I think the Cambridge to Oxford line is widely recognised as being a cutback that is was a mistake. It would make so much sense to restore services along it. Here is a link to the East - West Rail site: http://www.eastwestrail.org.uk/ Re: Melksham to Bow Brickhill - 640/1971 Written by Lee on Friday, 17th November 2006 [quote author=Lee link=topic=640.msg1958#msg1958 date=1163687728]"The section between Oxford & Bicester London Road was reopened on 15.5.1989 and in 2001 the Strategic Rail Authority looked into reopening the remaining part of the line for passengers between Bicester and Bletchley but this proposal has now been rejected."[/quote] From the First Great Western Website : 17:44 Oxford to Bicester Town due 18:10 This train has been cancelled. This is due to a member of train crew being unavailable. Road transport will be provided. 18:24 Bicester Town to Oxford due 18:50 This train has been cancelled. This is due to a member of train crew being unavailable. Road transport will be provided. 18:59 Oxford to Bicester Town due 19:25 This train has been cancelled. This is due to a member of train crew being unavailable. Road transport will be provided. 19:30 Bicester Town to London Paddington due 20:59 This train will be started from Oxford. It will no longer call at: Bicester Town and Islip. This is due to a member of train crew being unavailable. Road transport will be provided between Bicester and Oxford, calling at Islip. Those are the "key commuter" Oxford - Bicester Town services and the 19:30 Bicester Town to London Paddington is the last train of the day. 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 | |||
|
|||
Further Information:
Home
Current Summary
Daily update
User forum
Consultation
Service now
Service future
Future Analysis
Recent Statistics
Recent letters
Letter to DfT
Save the train
Presentation
Support us
Other Maps
Station facilities
Station approach
Pictures
Trains diverted
History
About Melksham
Site Map
About this site