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December 04, 2005
Driving customers away?
We had customers commuting by train to Melksham on Thursday and Friday last week for a course - or so they (and we) had hoped.
On Thursday, they travelled on the 08:30 Bristol to London express to Chippenham, changed into the Melksham train there, and arrived on time. A good journey - how it should be.
Thursday evening and the 17:02 from Melksham was cancelled. I telephone National Rail Enquiries to ask about alternative arrangements and was told that they knew of none and that the next train was at 21:33. I put my customers on the bus to Bath!
Friday morning, and I got a phone call from Bath. The Bristol express was being diverted and after Bath it wasn't stopping until Reading; no-one at Bath could tell them when the next service to Chippenham would be, and in any case the connection would have long gone. They got the bus again and arrived with us about an hour late and not in the best of spirits / moods.
On Friday evening, they didn't even try for the train ... and who can blame them?
Posted by gje at December 4, 2005 08:10 AM