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December 29, 2005
Update
Even in the quieter time around Christmas, I've received a letter from the First group promising me a personal reply in due course from their MD, and a letter from the Rail Passenger Commitees (I hope I have the right wording there) telling me that they ... will obviously be monitoring the situations such as Melksham and other affected stations ...
Posted by gje at 02:25 PM
December 26, 2005
Christmas service - unrequired, or just unprovided?
The rail network right across the UK was shut down yesterday, and it's pretty close to that today. That's not always been the case ... I recall in my youth a skeleton service on Christmas day, and quite a good selection on Boxing day. For Christmas day, fair enough - in the UK few people are wanting to travel, but 26th is much more a get out and do things day, and perhaps the railways are missing out on an opportunity - perhaps they're being run of the convenience of the managers and staff at this time of year, rather than for the customers.
It must have been about five years ago that my son Chris was coming home to Melksham for Christmas, from Bognor Regis. Christmas Eve, and the last train was earlier-than-usual and so that was the service he had to take after work. He got nearly to Southampton, where the train stopped about a mile short of the station for an extended period - information was that someone had committed suicide - and so he dragged in to Southampton after the last train to anywhere "Salisbury and beyond" had left.
A sea of people, all who had missed the last connection for Christmas, and abandoned by the railway companies. No alternative transport ("Look - it's not our fault that someone committed suicide"), and utterly inadequate taxis. So a call from Chris and I drove all the way down there. Incredibly. some hour or two after the problem started, still a sea of people as I plucked Chris and a couple of people he'd been chatting with up, and we headed home for the holidays.
Here's a picture I took yesterday. I'm not in the UK this Christmas - this is what comes of having a partner who's roots were originally in another part of the world - and we were riding streetcars yesterday (25th December). I wish I had a better picture but it was wet, drab, and the crowds were such that I couldn't get much of a clear shot
Posted by gje at 03:28 PM
December 24, 2005
A comparison across the world
Yesterday morning, we took the tram from Powell Street up to Fisherman's Wharf and returned at lunchtime. In the afternoon, we rode the BART (again from Powell) out to the International Airport to meet-and-greet the last member of our Christmas group, then we rode back into the city centre together. We have a car available to us, but in this City I wouldn't dream of using it - the public transport is frequent and reliable, the boarding points and stations clean and welcoming, and they're grouped together to provide great interchanges. System maps show all the modes of transport, and a system of interchange tickets lets you transfer easily between them. The fare system is easy enough to be understandable. Prices are low, and that encourages high utilisation. The systems run daily, even including Christmas day, from 5 or 6 in the morning to beyond midnight. I'm not trying to paint a perfect picture - BARTs were being delayed by 5 to 7 minutes due to wet rail conditions yesterday, and display signs asking you to please keep your tickets dry so they don't jam the machines. The number of people asking for money around the station entrances is even worse that Bath.
You may have guessed that Lisa and I are not spending Christmas in the UK - we're on an occasional visit to her country of origin, and I find myself drawn to make comparisons. Any quantitative comparisons are unfair - the economy here is very different, we're in a major city - but still we can observe what works well here for public transportation and think how that does, could, or should apply to our own areas of North West and West Wiltshire.
I couldn't resist the picture - utterly nothing to do with public transport, save that people have to travel to see the sealions at Pier 39. I haven't told you, but I guess you know where we are? You can see pictures, and more comment on my "wiki" ...
Posted by gje at 03:06 PM
December 23, 2005
Even new stations don't always survive
Between 1985 and 1990, 116 new stations opened on British Railways, including Melksham, and 14 closed. Some new lines were even opened around that period and some new services added, and most have done well. But the odd one has closed again - the train from Kettering to Corby is, once again, a bus ...
The economics of running the train service through Melksham stack up well against Corby - in that case, the train was the only passenger service on the line and so the track upkeep had all to be offset against the fares; not so in the case of the line through Melksham, where the line is maintained anyway for trains on diversion, such as this Cheltenham to London express pictured last Saturday morning. What a suprise it was for the regulars when the distant two-tone horn turned into this rather then the "153" unit!
Melksham is an integral location on First Greater Western's network! They've just been awarded the contract to provide the service for the next 10 years and the next couple of weeks is an excellent time to let them know what sort of service would suit YOU and the town. Remember - although they're old hands at running railways, they're new to stopping at Melksham so I'm sure they'll appreciate friendly but honest input.
Posted by gje at 12:53 PM
December 21, 2005
No final decision yet
Evening of 20th December, I received strong confirmation from First's Customer Services that (quote) "Final decisions HAVE NOT YET BEEN MADE". Can I ask you to let people know, and to encourage people to contact First Great Western's MD - Alison Forster - at 1, Milford Street, Swindon or their customer service department at Freepost SWB40576, Plymouth PL4 6ZZ
* The train service through Melksham is likely to be slashed by 68% in spite of a rise in use (ticket sale statistics from the Office of the Rail Regulator) compound 35% for each of the last five years.
* Whereas trains were quiet five years ago, they're now much busier and there's every likelyhood that the growth would continue - especially if the reliability - one of First's great selling points - and timetable was improved. This can be done, I believe, at little extra cost.
* First have committed to listen to Customer's input and have JUST written to tell me that a final decision has NOT yet ben made.
---------------------------------------------
Copy of correspondence f.y.i.
--------------------------------------------
On 14th December, I wrote:
I look after the web site http://www.savethetrain.org.uk and I'm looking to update it with accurate information very soon - a quick reply would be much appreciated.
On 20th December, Gary Badcoe for First replied:
First Great Western is determine to improve the quality of service throughout Greater Western franchise when it comes into operation. This will mean that some services may be withdrawn, however this will only be done with careful consideration and after evaluating the needs of customers in effected areas. Final decisions have not yet been made and I will certainly make sure that your valuable comments are passed on to the relevant managers.
Posted by gje at 06:45 AM
December 20, 2005
New fares from 2nd January 2006
Most UK train fares are increasing on 2nd January; in the case of Wessex trains, by an average of 3.9%. Here are some fares (old and new) from Melksham, with a variety of others thrown in for comparison.
Note - there is a fearsome range of alternative fares. For the following table, I have priced the cost of a ticket purchased at the time of travel, for an unrestricted return journey made within a single weekday - in other words, a standard class open return OR a day return if it's valid by any train.
Pence per mile travelled makes a vey interesting study!
| Route | 2005 fare | 2006 fare | miles | Pence per mile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melksham - Swindon | 7.00 | 7.30 | 23 | 16p |
| Melksham - Bristol | 7.50 | 7.80 | 29 | 13p |
| Melksham - Salisbury | 9.00 | 9.40 | 36 | 13p |
| Melksham - Paddington | 104.00 | 108.00 | 100 | 54p |
| Some other fares for comparison | ||||
| Chippenham - Paddington | 90.00 | 94.00 | 94 | 50p |
| Swindon - Paddington | 76.00 | 79.00 | 77 | 51p |
| Stafford - Euston | 125.00 | 135.00 | 133 | 51p |
| Inverness - Kyle of Lochalsh | 16.50 | 16.50 | 82 | 10p |
| Norwich - Cromer | 6.90 | 7.50 | 26 | 14p |
| Sevenoaks - Charing Cross | 12.90 | 13.30 | 22 | 30p |
Note - I understand that the Chippenham fare may be used for Melksham to London provided that both journeys are made via Chippenham / Swindon. The fare above is also valid via Westbury or via Trowbridge and Bath.
In all cases, prices from The Trainline - E & O E
Posted by gje at 06:18 AM
December 19, 2005
Every journey has a story
Last Friday, I counted 158 train journeys from, to, or through Melksham. And that's 158 stories as to who and why people are travelling. Some people travelling regularly for work, some for pleasure, some to visit family. Some short distance, many long distance.
Lisa suggest to me that I tell individuals' stories - I know many - once a week, and copy them to the people who are going to be deciding timetabling issues in the new year. But that would be an invasion of privacy to name names. But I'll give you a flavour ... only the name is being changed.
Darren is a friendly guy, who loves life and the countryside and he works on a local farm, living there most of the time in a tied flat. He used to drive, but due to health problems he's no longer allowed to, so he relies on public transport and taxis which drain his income terribly ... so he often gets lifts.
I met him at the station last Friday, when I was "counting" the 17:02 to Swindon - he strolled up a few minutes before the train was due and I asked him if was heading for Chippenham or Swindon. "No - Salisbury" he says. The opportunity of a lift from a colleague had been too good for him to pass up - saving a taxi - so he was going to stand in the freezing cold for an hour and wait for the Salisbury train, where he had a lift arranged.
A charming young man - I chatted with him for much of that hour and learnt of his love of horses. I admire his positive approach in spite of the pack he's been dealt, and I come to realise what a lifeline this little train service of ours is to some remarkable people. Wouldn't it be a crying shame and a slap in the face to Darren, and others like him, to withdraw such a vital link.
Posted by gje at 08:59 AM
December 18, 2005
Upside Down
It's all upside down.
Melksham is growing. Traffic on the roads is growing to beyond the point of congestion ... and it's growing on the trains too, which can comfortably take the extra load. So "they" are pruning the train service to a withered arm and piling more traffic on the roads
"Traffic figures are low" they tell me, and point me to ticket sales figures that are a year out of date but were the latest available when the invitation to tender went out. "What do you mean by low" I ask, and they don't reply. But I know that if they keep growing compound by 35% per annum ... as they have for five years, and they did in the year recently published, that they won't be low for long.
Quoting Private Eye (not my normal reading, but Dad had a copy): "Growing Road congestion is a potential banana skin for the Department of Transport and its new policy of slashing tail services in English regions. But officials have a cunning plan: ignore it"
Posted by gje at 06:12 PM
December 17, 2005
Melksham rail traffic up 33% in 3 months
Yesterday, I went down to Melksham Station and counted passengers on every train, and numbers boarding / leaving too (good to meet some of you I've not met before, and put faces to names too). I had done exactly the same things three months ago to the day - also a Friday - so that it gives me two sets of numbers I can realisically compare.
Details of each count:
16th September 2005
16th December 2005
In summary - 33% more traffic yesterday than in September; I'm not terribly sure I can give any specific reasons for the increase - I didn't / don't ask detailed questions especially of people on their own at night.
Some people, though, I do talk with and destinations yesterday included London, Tiverton and Neath as well as the more local traffic - a lot of people up and down to Swindon, Bristol Abbey Wood, Salisbury, etc.
Several issues struck me. Firstly, the utter desparate hardship that the loss of the service would put onto some people who cannot drive for medical reasons, and how expensive and tough things are for them already. Secondly, how the whole system is integrated and the people who travel up on the one "outbound" train in the morning come back on VARIOUS trains - so the cutting our of the less used trains would also lead to a loss of traffic on the few remaining ones.
The survey's a snapshot on two days that, as far as I know, were both typical. Is the general trend towards upward traffic levels? I believe so. I used to be the only one waiting for my train on the platform, but now there are always other people - a quote from one passenger I was chatting to. The 07:45 was standing room only yesterday according to another.
Posted by gje at 10:17 AM
December 16, 2005
Should badgers be culled?
Why am I writing about badger culls this morning?
Because I was listening to the radio as I drove to the station for the 05:52 (Melksham to Swindon) this morning and I heard a minister interviewed on Radio 4's farming today ... {b}"This is a genuine consultation exercise"[/b} he said concerning requests for input. And that struck me as a very odd comment ... [i]why on earth would a consultation NOT be genuine[/i]
The consultation on the services to be provided on our railway line in the future was done in parallel with the issue of the tender documents - thus cannot have had any influence on the tender documents. The only effect it can have had (and it HAS for the sleeper service who got support from their MPs) was to have the decision makers say - "Oops - can't do that - too much public protest" about certain issues. In other words, we started with a playing field that wasn't level. Oh well. Makes me hopping mad ... but the game has moved on ... the game has moved on ... [i]the game has moved on[/i]. (I keep reminding myself).
We have one last opportunity to influence - now - the First Group to realise that it's in their interest as a commercial operation to provide a decent train service to Melksham. And - have a look at the new front page, my letter to Alison Forster, and you'll see that it IS in their interest. Let's hope that they are open to a genuine consultation over the next few short weeks before the timetabling meetings for 2007 after which any change of direction would be something of a miracle.
Posted by gje at 06:20 AM
December 15, 2005
Virtually no service - or excellent service. Request the latter.
My contacts at both the BBC and the Wiltshire Times have been told by First Group (when pressed) that the Melksham service is to be "at the ITT level" - in other words slashed. It hasn't been confirmed direct to me you; I'm awaiting an answer from them.
The First Group is a commercial company and is profit motivated. And they could make a profit - and a handsome one - from a good service to Melksham. See front page of the site (now changed to reflect this) and my open letter to their MD.
Timetabling takes place early next year for the service from December. Please ... write to the company and our representative on their user panel ...
Posted by gje at 12:10 PM
December 14, 2005
First specific Melksham rumour ...
From a "reliable source" ....
"The word from First Group is that the spec for Melksham is as per the bid document, so I'm afraid it looks like the service will be cut."
Posted by gje at 08:33 AM
First Group - First answer on Melksham
Yesterday, the Greater Western Franchise which includes the operation of trains on the TransWilts service (Swindon to Salisbury and Southampton) was awarded to the First Group. Although detailed press releases were issued by the Department for Transport and First Group, I could find no mention of Melksham, so I dropped them an email asking for clarification. The following is quoted from their response:
"First Great Western is committed to maintaining and improving the service we provide. We very much appreciate the support from our customer and we will be looking at the faculties provided at all station including Melksham. I hope that we will continue to provide the level of service you would expect ..."
Current services scheduled are 68 trains a week (5 each way Monday to Friday, 4 on Saturday and 3 on Sunday). Bidders for the franchise were asked to quote for a base service reduced to 20 trains a week, but also to submit enhanced plans. I remain unclear as to what level of service First Group are planning to provide and I hope to hear from them, and report, further.
Melksham is a growing town with a population of some 24000, and just under 1000 new homes approved or under construction. From a low base five years ago, rail ticket sales (the statistic quoted by the office of rail regulator) have increase at 35% per annum and what were near-empty trains are now much better loaded. The nearby town of Bradford-on-Avon, half the size of Melksham, has 10 time Melksham's ticket sales ... in no small measure due to the fact that the train calls there once an hour. People in Melksham tell me that they would use the train if it was more frequent and reliable, and I have no reason to doubt that an increase to an hourly service (even if it was a short working such as Chippenham to Westbury) would lead to a dramatic increase in traffic levels. I am glad to read that First Group is committed to maintain and improve the services they provide .... perhaps along these lines? I certainly hope so.
Posted by gje at 04:52 AM
December 13, 2005
Greater Western Franchise awarded
The First Group - currently running the Great Western and Great Western Link - has been awarded the franchise to operate the Greater Westerrn Franchise for the next 7 (or is it 10?) years. Lots of news and press releases around - all talking very positive things including some of the threatened services - but I've not been able to find any mention on Melksham. Fading, like the sign at the station ...
Anyhow, I've dropped them a line so that I know what to say here (!) ... am awaiting a reply.
Congratulations on winning the Greater Western Franchise. I've had a read through the information there and I can't find any mention of Melksham. As there was some doubt with regards to the future of services here, I wounder if you can confirm whether they're to be maintained at the current level, or if the service level is to be improved or otherwise.
I look after the web site http://www.savethetrain.org.uk and I'm looking to update it with accurate information very soon - a quick reply would be much appreciated.
Further links -
BBC
First Group
DFT - First and second pages
Picture - on board a recent weekend train from Swindon to Southampton
Posted by gje at 09:37 PM
December 12, 2005
Train service fading away too?
The one remaining sign at Melksham station is badly faded. We used to have a second sign but it disappeared and hasn't been replaced; I understood that there were to be two new signs shortly (that was a while ago) - perhaps I misunderstood, or perhaps it takes twice as long and cost twice as much as a normal sign would because it has to be up to "railway standards" for health and saftey reasons.
The train service appears to be fading away too - after the PACKED train we were on on Saturday evening, I understand that there was a crew shortage and the evening train wasn't going to be running. Yesterday, following the lunchtime train on line, it disappeared in a puff of smoke ... and I'm strongly suspecting it didn't run. A quick glance through other schedules / trains that were about at the time and I think that the line was probably chocker with diverted 125s anyway.
But ending on a positive note - I see that the 07:45 to Swindon is shown as ON TIME this morning ...
Posted by gje at 07:38 AM
December 10, 2005
Santa Claus at Melksham Station
To Swindon on the 13:35 from Melksham - a two car set that was pretty full of people headed for an afternoon's shopping and to see Santa on the return train. A fair sprinkling of other people on board too, and there were already about a dozen regular passengers waiting to get on the return train there - which wasn't even due to set off for another quarter of an hour.
The return train was - well - like rush hour. People standing all over the place, people having to push to get to the door at Chippenham and other having to step off the train to let them off before reboarding. Good to see the train this busy.
Santa didn't have time to make his full rounds, so he graciously got off at Melksham and we arranged to take him on to Westbury when he had seen all the children. All had a good time - THANK YOU SANTA, and thank you Gordon, and Wessex trains, and everyone else who helped to make it possible.
Further pictures on my own web site via this link. Would put them here, but I'm set up on the "wellho" site to throw up a lot of pictures very quickly. Please let me know if you would like a complete image of any pictures that show your son / daughter / mum / dad with Santa!
Posted by gje at 07:54 PM
December 09, 2005
A Quandry
Thank goodness I'm independent! That I can express my views and ideas without having to ensure that they're the views of others too. I had a crazy idea. A silly thought playing around with figures and schedules and data, and something that David Redgewell said at the West Wilts User Group meeting on Wednesday; struck a chord and perhaps not in a direction he intended,
It's radical. But there's a way to increase passenger journeys on trains by around half a million a year on the TransWilts corridor (i.e. on trains to and through Melksham) AND to reduce the operating costs / save money in the grand scheme of things. Problem is, it involves taking off some duplicated / parallel running on the neighbouring line and using some of the stock released to provide a service on a line which is otherwise closed (to all intents and purposes) except in the evening.
Questions:
a) If Melksham had a reliable hourly train to Chippenham, would people be prepared to change there for Swindon, Reading and London?
b) If you want to get from Salisbury to Bristol in the early afternoon, how about using the 13:41. Is the 13:51 really needed too?
c) If you want to get from Bristol to Salisbury mid afternoon, how about the 15:40. Or is that unacceptable and will you insist on travelling on the 15:52?
d) There's a train from Westbury to Salisbury at 09:31. There's another at 09:37. Is this because there's a lot of traffic to be carried at that time of day? Is the 09:37 really needed?
Posted by gje at 06:58 AM
December 08, 2005
From the rumour mill
At a time when everyone's waiting with baited breath to find out who's going to be operating our trains (such as remain) from next April, there seems to be a lot of rumours and not a great deal of hard fact cloating around. Alas, the only rumour that is NOT floating around is any thought of a reprive for the Melksham services.
Putting it all together ... I THINK that one of the bidders is being dropped about now - and it's up to that bidder whether or not they go public and admit it. The announcement is still scheduled for the week of 19th December and I've even heard it said that two sets of papers will be signed so that there are no authoritative leaks ahead of time with one set of papers just being torn up.
But coming from left field ... a suggestion that the announcemnt may be sprung on us next Wednesday.
In all cases / rumours, there's no suggestion we'll know any details which will trickle out and be planned after the main announcement. And that perhaps means that this will be a good time to do a little further lobbying!
I'm not exactly sure how the EXACT date matters to us as rail users, mind; it's certainly coming in the run up to Christmas and looks a bit like an "announce and run" where the folks concerned may be hoping that any fuss has time to die down before they're called on to answer it.
So who gets it? Ah - rumours for First Group, and rumours for Stagecoach, with perhaps the favourite being First Group and them being followed be Stagecoach and then talk of the SW trains franchise (currently held by Stagecoach) going to First. There's a lack of positive rumours for National Express but, frankly, I don't know.
ADDED - MIDDAY
From today's Guardian ...
Stagecoach is likely to lose out on two key rail franchises which are due to be awarded by the end of the year, and said bidding was at such a "fever pitch" that prices had reached unreasonable levels.
The firm, based in Perth, Scotland, recently missed out on the Integrated Kent franchise and expects to hear by Christmas that it has also failed to win the Thameslink/Great Northern and Greater Western licences. Stagecoach has not held discussions with the Department for Transport in recent weeks even though it believed talks would be necessary to agree terms on the two franchises.
Posted by gje at 06:18 AM
December 06, 2005
Melksham and TransWilts train service - closure by stealth?
* Melksham is a town with a population of over 20,000 and growing - there's much new construction in the area and a further 750 house development was approved just last month.
* Melksham is served by five trains a day (slightly fewer at weekends) on the Swindon to Southampton service, and ticket sales have grown steadily from 3200 per year (five years ago) to 27435 last year. That's a seven fold increase. For every passenger who joins or leaves a train, 3 or 4 stay on (personal observation of all trains on a single day).
* The request for bids for the new Greater Western Franchise calls for the current service of 68 trains a week to be replaced by just 20 trains a week with a commuter run to Swindon in the morning, back in the late afternoon, and a round trip during the evening.
* This "proposed" new service is due to come into effect in December 2006.
Consultation has been poor and I believe that local requirements / suggestions have not been taken into account. It should be a "no brainer" that a service that's grown this rapidly should be encouraged and nurtured but the reverse seems to be the case.
Government actions:
1. The bid request announced the proposed withdrawal of the service in one line on 32 of a long document. No reason was given.
2. Consultations on what should be in the bid were held AT THE SAME TIME as the invitation to tender was issued, so that responses could not effect the initial bid process though - perhaps - they can now effect the fine tuning of the contract awarded.
3. The Department for Transport consulted with the Strategic rail authority and discussed how consultation could be minimised. (Information obtained under Freedom of Information).
4. Although the bidding process is running quickly, the Department for Transport is very slow to answer questions. I'm still waiting for a reply to a letter of 5th October, for example. The Department wrote to my MP on 8th November telling him that Roger Jones would reply ... I still await that reply.
5. Such replies as we HAVE received consistently tell us that traffic levels are low and that's why the service is being reduced, but requests to define what is meant by low traffic levels have never been answered. Ticket sales for Melksham are higher than for many other stations - even termini such as Wick and Fishguard rank lower.
It looks rather like the planned new service has been dreamed up to run a service without having a train assigned to the line at all. An early service will go up to Swindon in the morning and the stock will run the Swindon to Cheltenham service during the day. It will come back in the evening and provide an extra train as - perhaps - a token gesture; the current evening train is the least used of the day and I can only think that the new service proposed is for operational reasons rather than passenger level reasons.
The current operating environment:
1. Trains on the Swindon to Westbury and Southampton line always seem to be the first to be cancelled. I know of 5 services (that's 7%) in the last week, yet Wessex Trains clain to run over 99% of their services.
2. Northbound through trains to Southampton have already been cut back to Westbury (although Southbound ones are most still through services).
3. Waits of up to 27 minutes have been introduced into schedules of the remaining through trains at Westbury. As from 11th December, there's even a service that's scheduled to sit at Melksham station for 10 minutes.
4. The morning train from Westbury to Swindon was retimed to run 20 minutes earlier making it much less attractive for people working in that town - it just gets there too early.
5. In the event of engineering works or accident on nearby mainlines, the service through Melksham is delayed or withdrawn. We were without local trains (apart from the 05:52 to Swindon and 06:56 to Southampton) for 2 weeks in August 2004, for example. Requests to stop the expresses which have to slow right down for the curve through the station were rejected.
6. Connections at Swindon are NOT held so that anyone travelling from London will find that there's no onward train available in the event of a delay on the main line. That's happened twice (to my knowledge) just to the afternoon train in the last 2 weeks.
7. Some connections at Westbury are truely dreadful. It's now impractical to make a return journey on what used to the main line from Weymouth unless you leave there just after lunch. The one later train leaves you stranded for 2 and a half hours at Westbury. The 06:56 to Southampton which should provide a good connection to a London train at Westbury misses the connection
by 3 minutes.
8. For 8 weekends recently, the trains were replaced by buses from Westbury right through to Swindon even though the works were limited to / on the Westbury to Bristol stretch. I know that work was being done at Bradford on Avon and at Keynsham on some weekends (neither on our line), and question whether our service really had to be suspended of if it was just stopped as an operating convenience.
9. Although goverment and operator talk a great deal about the Swindon commuter run (probably because they're saving that element), in practise much of the traffic on the line is long distance and oddball journeys. On a recent day, travellers questioned were making journeys that included to/from Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, South Wales and London. I can also document recent journeys ... York, Bolton, Colchester, Edinburgh. I estimate that such journeys make up a good proportion (perhaps even 50%) of the traffic.
The station at Melksham:
1. There's no public telephone as there is supposed to be at every station; Wesses trains have a special dispensation NOT to provide one.
2. Timetables are part of a complex table and don't show the connections that people want to London, Bath and Bristol.
3. Signage is poor and the stations' in the back of an industrial estate which discourages timid travellers.
4. Interchange to bus services in non-existant. Even though buses pass the end of the station approach, they don't stop anywhere nearby and they are timed such that they do not connect.
Publicity:
1. First Group's publicity suggests catching a bus to Melksham from Chippenham if you're coming by train - even though that's a walk across Chippenham whereas the connecting train leaves from the same platform.
2. Wessex trains make little mention of the line in their publicity and include it only in a complex timetable that doesn't show the journeys that many people want to make. The new timetable handout from 11th December still wasn't available (at Temple Meads, Bristol) on 5th.
3. Q Jump (on line booking - part of TheTrainLine.com) can't find the service to Melksham (I've had this reported several times and had to assure people that there really IS a train).
4. National Rail Enquiries could only off the advise that "the next train is at 21:33" when I asked them for alternative suggestions when the 17:02 to Swindon was cancelled last Thursday.
5. The West Wiltshire Public Transport timetable that used to be issued regularly was replaced by a BUS timetable recently, so it no longer shows the train service.
What call is there for service?
Speak to people in Melksham and they'll tell you
1. They would use the service if it was more reliable
2. They would use the service if it was more frequent
3. They would use the service if it the station was improved
4. They would use the service if they knew about it!
A recent survey by the county council at Chippenham Station estimated that some 70 people a day from Melksham drive to Chippenham and park there to go on the train. That probably makes more money in car parking charges than they would get from having everyone on the train!
The platforms at Chippenham are signalled for two way working and trains can be / have been reversed there. With a single 153 running an hourly shuttle from Chippenham to Westbury, I estimate that traffic levels would increase a further 3 fold. I encourage research to prove (or otherwise) this estimate
In other words ... if only the mandrins actually LOOKED at the service and situation and allowed the provision of something appropriate, it would really work out logistically, environmentally and even financially.
On 13th November, I invited Roger Jones, divisional manager from franchies at the department for transport, to visit the line for himself. I've yet to receive a reply.
Posted by gje at 07:13 AM
December 05, 2005
At Temple Meads today
I was at Temple Meads today (5th December) looking to pick up pocket timetables for the service that starts next Sunday, but "we haven't got them in yet". Never mind ... WH Smiths had a copy of the National Rail Timetable for sale, and I'm now 12 pounds poorer and with 2752 pages to read.
I'll be checking the Swindon - Chippenham - Melksham - Trowbridge - Westbury - Warminster - Salisbury - Southampton timetable that I put up recently from online sources. I think I got it mostly right ... I certainly surmised the the sunday evening train is now scheduled to arrive in Melksham at 20:49 and not leave until 20:59.
Posted by gje at 04:42 PM
December 04, 2005
Latest official answer
To me, via my MP
"The Greater Western franchise will commence in April 2005, with the proposed timetable being introduced in December 2006. Under the proposal the trains that run from Swindon to Westbury are planned to be reduced from five trains a day to two trains a day. These trains are lightly loaded, require significant subsidy and are poor value for money. The remaining two trains will be timed to allow for commuting journeys between Melksham and Swindon. Feedback from consultees will be used in negotiations with the preferred bidder whilst finalising the specification for the new frachise - DEREK TWIGG"
Signed by Derek Twigg, a minister at the Department for Transport, on 8th November. Forwarded to me by my MP on 28th November, received within the last couple of days.
I note the work "proposal" still in use and that feeback WILL be used. So there's an encouragement for us to write to Derek at 76 Marsham Street, London SW1 4DR and let him know our views and point out the rapidly growing traffic figures, the usage in spite of all the reliability problems we've had ...
Posted by gje at 08:14 AM
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 08:10 AM
December 02, 2005
Don't drink and drive - drink and train.
I was watching Alastair Darling, the minister for transport, on the TV last night ... on the set of Coronation Street, and launching the Christmas "don't drink and drive" campaign. Good for him - he has my support in that.
Public transport - if it's available and running - is an excellent way for folks to get home after an evening in the pub. We're fortunate to have an evening train from Swindon, and a late bus (11 p.m.) from Bath to Melksham. An excellent way to get home after the office party!
Posted by gje at 07:37 AM