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June 16, 2006
How to catch the 18:48 from Chippenham - the DfT suggests
According to the Transport Direct Web site, I need to catch the 17:34 bus from the centre of Melksham to connect into the 18:48 train from Chippenham ... at the start of an evening journey I'm planning to Liverpool.
Transport Direct is an "official" site, sponsored by the Department for Transport, the Welsh Assembly, and a few others.
Here's their suggestion for how I get from Melksham onto a train at Chippenham, 7 miles away (and there IS a direct Melksham to Chippenham train .... at least at present ... that takes 10 minutes)
1. The routing is daft ... it takes you on the 17:34 bus for about a mile out of the town, then has you walk back in to a stop a few yards from where you started to catch a bus at 18:04 ...
2. I'm very concerned to see the official site refer to the 18:04 bus as a Rail Replacement. Th e transport minister denies that buses are replacing trains, and yet here's this on a site he sponsors
3. The walk from Bath Road to the station in Chippenham is regrettable, poorly signposted and impractical for anyone who's a bit unhealthy or with heavy luggage - dodging High Street traffic, then a stiff hill climb.
I visited the commercial Xephos web site to which I have a 2 pounds a month subscription, and they suggested that I catch the 18:02 bus at Melksham and change at Bath - a much more sensible answer in my view, with a single bus ride and a "same interchange" connection in Bath to the same onward train.
Posted by gje at June 16, 2006 08:37 AM