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| An appropriate train service for Wiltshire Onward to Dilton Marsh, Warminster and Salisbury Also onward to Frome. The five largest population centres in Wiltshire (Swindon, Salisbury, Chippenham, Trowbridge, Melksham) are connected by the TransWilts railway line, but all through trains were withdrawn last December and a skeleton service of just 2 trains a day retained on part of the line. Strong local protest followed as traffic on the remaining trains - 06:19 and 18:42 from Swindon - dwindled to almost nothing due to the lack of connections and the lack of any realistic use of the service for round trips for shopping, work, education, medical visits, soccer or other entertainment. The service reduction was one step too far, and there are now proposals with the DfT, fully timetabled by Network Rail, to provide a service every 2 hours through most of the day (one gap of 3 hours to provide for optimum commuter train timing). In order for the service to be introduced and the succeed, though, it needs community support - perhaps by designation as a "community rail" service or perhaps more informally. In order to progress this, I (Graham Ellis, Save the Train) have called a meeting at Melksham - the midpoint of the Swindon to Westbury section - at 19:30 on the 5th March. ALL WELCOME - whether they represent organisations, travellers or other interested parties such as local businesses and staff. We will meet people off the 19:08 arrival from Swindon and make arrangements as necessary to help people get home afterwards. PLEASE COME IF YOU CAN. If you can't make it that night, but would like to support up, please let me know via http://www.savethetrain.org.uk/community.html If you want to know more, please have a look at http://www.savethetrain.org.uk/melkshamrailway/191_.html or email me. And PLEASE pass on this invite to other parties too. Put it up on your notice board, circulate it at work ... Graham Ellis .... graham@wellho.net .... 01225 708225 Meeting venue: Well House Manor, 48, Spa Road, Melksham, SN12 7NY (5 minutes walk from the Town centre towards Devizes) P.S. The train operator and others have already signed up to the meeting, the purpose of which is to set up a co-operative path for the venture to succeed. |
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