Save the Melksham Train
Archived Save the Train forum articles - 2005 to 2010. See below
All Newcastle To Carlisle Services To Stop At Prudhoe? - 961/2687
Written by Lee on Tuesday, 2nd January 2007

There has been a recommendation that all Newcastle to Carlisle services stop at Prudhoe. Northumberland County Council is setting up a

Re: All Newcastle To Carlisle Services To Stop At Prudhoe? - 961/2702
Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Wednesday, 3rd January 2007

[quote author=Lee link=topic=961.msg2687#msg2687 date=1167739089]


Re: All Newcastle To Carlisle Services To Stop At Prudhoe? - 961/2733
Written by Lee on Thursday, 4th January 2007

Here is some background info on this :

[quote author=Lee link=topic=249.msg681#msg681 date=1150370483]A source who has been extremely helpful regarding Melksham and other issues recently reminded me that there are similiarities between Melksham station and Wetheral station , which is the most westerly station on the Tyne Valley Line.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wetheral_railway_station

As the link above states :

"The station was closed during the Beeching Axe but later reopened on an unstaffed basis."

Here is a link to the current bus timetable for Wetheral.
http://www.stagecoachbus.com/timetables/Service75from08May04[1].pdf

Page 76 of the North East Regional Planning Assessment.

"More selective stops at stations on the Tyne Valley route to improve the speed
and frequency at the better used stations and to reduce the delays caused by
stopping at the least used locations, and with the potential for bus/rail integration
at Hexham to give better links from the surrounding area to Newcastle."

The map on Page 39 shows the daily number of passengers for each station in the area.

The map on Page 42 shows the daily passenger trips on each section of line in the area.

Both are low on the western section of the Tyne Valley Line , and will get lower if the service is modified as described.

Page 88.

"The Tyne Valley route is a double track railway open on two long shifts but closed
from approximately midnight to 06:00 each night. It can convey RA10 (25.5 tonne)
axle load traffic and W8 gauge container traffic (8'6" containers).

There is roughly an hourly service from Carlisle to Newcastle operated by Northern
Rail, but also including four services contained within the ScotRail franchise and
operating through to south west Scotland. Most of the Northern services continue
beyond Newcastle to Middlesbrough via Sunderland and the Durham Coast. This is
supplemented by an hourly service between Hexham and Sunderland and additional
trains between MetroCentre and Newcastle.

The Tyne Valley line is used by some Anglo-Scottish freight and trains to/from
industries in Cumbria and there are approximately 13 freight paths a day in each
direction over the Tyne Valley. It is also used as a diversionary route when there are
blockages to either the East Coast or West Coast Mainlines."

As you can see from Page 7 , figure 10 of the link below , the Tyne Valley line is projected to achieve high-level growth to 2015.
http://www.networkrail.co.uk/documents/3108_Route%209%20North%20East%20Routes.pdf

"Coal traffic is to be diverted off the Settle to Carlisle
line and onto the Newcastle to Carlisle line from
time to time to allow planned track works. As a
result, the volume of freight traffic along this section
will significantly increase when such diversions
occur."

Here are some relevent links.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4776296.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/4765883.stm

Believe it or not , the Settle-Carlisle line is also projected to achieve high-level growth to 2015. this is shown on Page 6 , Figure 9 of the link below.
http://www.networkrail.co.uk/documents/3121_Route%2023%20North%20West%20Rural.pdf

One of the things that the Settle - Carlisle , Tyne Valley and Melksham lines all have in common is that their stopping passenger train services appeared in the withdrawal or modification lists of the original Beeching Report and nearly all of the stations on them were listed for closure.[/quote]

 
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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