Save the Melksham Train
Archived Save the Train forum articles - 2005 to 2010. See below
Good news - the 17:02 was 10 minutes late - 652/1972
Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Friday, 17th November 2006

Dropped off a customer for the 17:02.  I counted about 20 people on the train when it arrived. 2 people got off. And there were 10 people on the plaform ... I was the ONLY dropper off or greeter.  So that makes - what - about 30 customers all told.

How is it that there's always about 30 customers for this train when FGW tell us that the number is 12? 

What's good about the news (see my title). It's good that the train actually ran; it's cancelled at least once a week these days and, really, I don't mind a few minutes late.

Re: Good news - the 17:02 was 10 minutes late - 652/1975
Written by Sion Bretton on Friday, 17th November 2006

The return journey was about 5 mins late out of Chippenham.

6 got off

There were over 37 people on the train when if left Chippenham.

So noones uses the train.

Are First just interested in the numbers who get on/off at Melksham, as the other passagners can us the train via Bath?

Re: Good news - the 17:02 was 10 minutes late - 652/1976
Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Saturday, 18th November 2006

[quote author=Sion Bretton link=topic=652.msg1975#msg1975 date=1163790989]
Are First just interested in the numbers who get on/off at Melksham, as the other passagners can us the train via Bath?
[/quote]

Yes, I think so.

If you listened to Andrew Griffiths on BBC Radio Wiltshire the week before last, he was describing how the Westbury to Swindon service cannot be justified because "it goes to the wrong places - people from Melksham really want to go to Bath and Bristol".

Re: Good news - the 17:02 was 10 minutes late - 652/1981
Written by Lee on Saturday, 18th November 2006

[quote author=Graham Ellis link=topic=652.msg1976#msg1976 date=1163839779]If you listened to Andrew Griffiths on BBC Radio Wiltshire the week before last, he was describing how the Westbury to Swindon service cannot be justified because "it goes to the wrong places - people from Melksham really want to go to Bath and Bristol".

Re: Good news - the 17:02 was 10 minutes late - 652/2236
Written by Lee on Thursday, 7th December 2006

Here are some more Berney Arms links.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berney_Arms_railway_station
http://web.ukonline.co.uk/berneyarms/html/berneyarms/railway/berney_railway1.htm

 
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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