Save the Melksham Train
Archived Save the Train forum articles - 2005 to 2010. See below
Buses replace trains at the Weekend, January to March 2006 - 108/233
Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Friday, 6th January 2006

Saturday and Sunday trains from Westbury to Swindon are replaced by buses from 7th January until early March.

I have NOT located an online timetable that lays out all the details yes, but I've looked up a couple of journeys and they seem to be that same as when we have similar shutdowns last year:



Please post a follow up if you know any different.

Re: Buses replace trains at the Weekend, January to March 2006 - 108/240
Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Sunday, 8th January 2006

OK - I've seen the full bus substitution timetable now.  They are the same EXCEPT that the last bus on Saturday leaves Swindon at 23:06 and runs about 45 minutes later throughout - that's 00:01 at Melksham and 00:31 at Westbury.

Note also that we have a TRAIN rather than a bus service on Saturday, 4th February

Re: Buses replace trains at the Weekend, January to March 2006 - 108/287
Written by Nick Field on Thursday, 19th January 2006

Its the big Wiltshire football derby on Saturday 11th February - Salisbury City v Chippenham Town in the Southern Premier League.  Both teams are currently first and second in the table and gunning for promotion so a big crowd is expected.  I know from looking at Chippenham Towns' forum that many bluebirds are travelling down for the game.  I would of posted details about travelling direct via Melksham but as its buses I dont think I will.  Bit annoying as it could of been a good opportunity to promote some business for the line.

 
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Save the Train was the campaign to bring an approriate train service back to and through Melksham.

Most big contributors are still around writing at the Coffee shop forum where new members are very welcome.

The train has been saved - sort of - we have stepped back up from an unusable service to a poorish one but it's doing very well. We did that through setting up the TransWilts Community Rail Partnership. That fulfilled its early objectives; it has been taken over by local and regional government types who are now doing medium and long term work. The team from this forun can also be found at the Melksham Rail User Group (which was the Melksham Rail Development Group at the time these articles were written and we had no users.

We mustn't loose sight, though, that the train service remains poor and needs our community support in marketing and campaigning to keep it going in a positive direction ... and all the more so when we're expecting to find a different normallity once we get out of the Coronavirus Pandemic and head for zero carbon via the climate crisis. Yes, it's saved ... it's now a key community facility ... the need for enhancement and the strong and near-universal local support remain, and the rail industry and goverment remain slow to move and provide the enhancements even to level us up with other towns. Please support the Melksham Rail User Group - now very much in partnership rather than protest with the rail industry and local government, including GWR, TransWilts and unitary and town councils. And please use the trains and buses, and cycle and walk when you can.

-- Graham Ellis, (webmaster), February 2021


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