Save the Melksham Train
This is an archived page.
Please see [here] if you're looking for the current "Save the Train" home page.
Please see [here] for the TransWilts site.
Friday, 26th March 2010. Launch of TransWilts Community Rail Partnership. Bridge House, Trowbridge, from 19:30
An exciting new step forward to rejeuvenation of the line, its service and its use
BUSY, EXCELLENT MEETING ... see [here] for initial report
Train service remains dire - southbound from Swindon at 06:15 and 18:45, northbound from Westbury at 07:02 and 19:35. Please pledge your support if you would like to see an increase to six trains a day -
arriving Swindon at 07:48 08:53 11:50 14:50 17:36 and 20:19,
returning at 06:18 09:02 12:02 15:02 17:55 and 18:45.


Keynote for 2010

Forum archive ... Blog archive

Melksham justifies a good train service

I read in the local newspaper (article) that the bidders for the franchise to operate the train service through Melksham from December 2006 are being asked by the Strategic Rail Authority to submit bids for a reduced service that involves the cutting of all daytime trains.

To quote the SRA's document (pages 32 and 33), which you can download in full:

Differences from the December 2004 timetable:
  • Swindon to Southampton through services are discontinued;
  • One Swindon peak service operates in each direction between Westbury and Swindon calling at Trowbridge, Melksham and Chippenham. One additional evening round trip also operates between Westbury and Swindon. This represents a reduction, from five round trips a day to two round trips a day, via Melksham;
 A reduced timetable without daytime trains through Melksham would affect business, personal and pleasure traffic. The decision to ask for bids for a lower level of service seems especially badly timed because:
  1. Residential building adjacent to the station will bring additional traffic in the near future. more ...
  2. Better sign posting installed recently has increased the station's profile more ...
  3. Recent street and station improvements make catching the train in Melksham a more pleasurable experience more ...
  4. New businesses in Melksham recently include Westinghouse - a railway-related company who have brought hundreds of jobs to the town. These people will use the train service! more ...
  5. The Strategic Rail Authority is being wound down and will cease to exist at the end of this year. It would seem that a decision to change services after they have ceased to exist could be a case of maladministration and such a decision should be deferred to the organisation that will take on the responsibility for service levels more ...
  6. Last year, all trains stopping at Melksham (apart from the 05:52 to Swindon and 06:56 to Westbury) were cancelled for a period of several weeks without prior notice. This lead to a loss of custom and confidence in the service which has taken a time to recover more ...
  7. Use of the trains is currently increasing. more ...case study ...
  8. The extra new platform at Swindon has eased track congestion problems there. more ...
  9. There is no viable public transport alternative to the train for travel to Swindon or Westbury, nor (on a Sunday) for travel to Chippenham or Trowbridge more ...
  10. The line brings tourism to and through the area in a way that other public transport could not. more ...
  11. Rising fuel costs should persuade more people to use the train rather than less - it seems extraordinary to consider cutting services at this time. more ...

From a personal viewpoint, people arrive in Melksham to visit our business on daytime trains, and leave again by train afterwards. Our public courses are actually timed to start at 09:45 to allow people to arrive at 09:02 (Paddington 07:45) and to finish at 16:45 to allow them to get back to London off the 17:02 (Paddington Arrive 18:44). We are able to offer collections to and from the local station, but could not do so from Chippenham without these trains, chances are that our customers would drive so that the whole of their fare income to the railways would be lost (not just what they pay to use the local train) and that they would add to road and street congestion.
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