March 13, 2009
Spring 2009 Campaign update
We've been quiet over the winter ... but there have been things going on behind the scenes. With the economic downturn that we're all hearing about, it might seem a strange time to be looking for rail service improvements on the TransWilts line ... but actually it makes more sense rather than less.
* As people's jobs change, some people will be taking work further from home and will be commuting longer distances and on new routes
* Traditional in and out of city routes (London, for example) will get quieter and some trains can be shortened - I hear reports of major refunds of annual season tickets at South West Trains, for example
* Families will drop from "2 car" to "1 car" and if the breadwinner can commute by train, that's a huge encouragement!
* West Wiltshire has a net outflow of 6000 employees (workforce 60,000, jobs 53,000) with much of that to Swindon ... as well as Bath and Bristol
* Fast public transport will help stimulate the economy - avoiding places like Melksham dropping into a backwater of inaccessible depression
* The new Unitary Authority with its three major towns of Chippenham, Trowbridge and Salisbury has an opportunity to provide an excellent link between them - a flagship to tie the new authority area together
We have a new "2010 keynote" here.
And we ask you to pledge your support here (you can read all about it first!
Posted by gje at 06:32 AM | Comments (0)