| Archived Save the Train forum articles - 2005 to 2010. See below
Pictures outside Melksham station - 6739/11283 Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Friday, 4th April 2008  No signs to say "this is the station". But this IS the station - there's a fence with a gate behind those two cars  The approach road, taken from the A365 where buses pass but do not stop. A L King Roofing moved out recently to a brand new yard, and their old lot lies idle. And once again, no real indication that there's a station down there!  A few hundred yards down the track, a public crossing over the line. The railway property adjoins West Country Farmers here, who's site is the subject of a planning application by Asda for a new store. Re: Pictures outside Melksham station - 6739/11590 Written by Nick on Wednesday, 16th April 2008 Has anyone asked the bus companies if they wouldn't mind calling at Melksham station? Re: Pictures outside Melksham station - 6739/11592 Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Wednesday, 16th April 2008 [quote author=Nick link=topic=6739.msg11590#msg11590 date=1208354026] Has anyone asked the bus companies if they wouldn't mind calling at Melksham station? [/quote] It's a commercial and practical decision for them. From a practical viewpoint, the bus companies are not keen to take their buses down the cul-de-sac and turn them at the station, even though rail replacement coaches do go down there. That's because of the extra journey time it would add, and because the area tend to be busier with road traffic during the week (when the trains run) than during the weekend. There is land set aside to complete a loop via the station to McDonald's and with that road in place, the turning issue and the extra time taken becomes less critical. From a commercial view point, there would be little for a bus company to gain from diverting existing serfvivces to the station based ont he current timetable. The ONLY bus that goes past the station before the 07:17 train is an X71 from Bowerhill - and actually it would be a VERY useful feeder at about 07:05 into the Swindon train. But in the evening, after the 19:11 arrival there's nothing on the same route until 23:30 to get people back more across Melksham (there is a bus between 8 and 9 on X72 that serves some of the area). Add in the extra trains and / or the link through to Spencer's Gate and the metric change! 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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