"Who are you and why are you interested / writing to me about the train" is a question I've become quite familiar with.   And I had a good opportunity to explain my interest in an email this evening.   Never one to waste good words, I'm publishing what I said here as it's a good update for you, and it was a good reminder for me too as to my goals (and limited position!).

I'm a user of the service from time to time, and I run a training business in Melksham that receives a lot of its customers by train.   I have no political affiliations, I'm not a public servant of any type, and I have no connection with any of the companies and bodies that comprise the railway industry.  I'm know to organisations such as the West Wilts Rail Users Group, Transport 2000 and the Melksham Railway Development Group, but when I started taking an active interest in campaigning for the line last summer, I decided to do so purely as a private individual rather than as a member of any of those groups - I wanted to focus on the TransWilts service and I don't necessarily agree with their views on (for example) the Waterloo service.

Trying to cut a longs story short, my training business is in the IT / web site business and I felt the matter needed publicity.  I set up a website, had it announced in the Wiltshire Times, and found myself acting as something of a spokesman.  See
   http://archive.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/2005/8/26/248165.html
for the web site announcement in the Wiltshire times.

Moving on, the web site has had many visitors and over a hundred have gone to the trouble to add their names to my supporters list.  We've logged 100 different customers of our business who've travelled here by train, but won't be able to as from this December if the cuts go ahead - the TransWilts service is the ONLY one that calls at Melksham which is the ONLY station close to our offices.  I've been very happy with the level of publicity achieved to date - the first aim of getting the service in front of the "movers and shakers" appears to have paid off as the BBC put some specific questions to Derek Twigg, minister at the Department for Transport on a radio 4 program the other week following up an interview they did with me, and Alison Forster the MD of First Great Western has been in touch personally to answer (or sidestep) some questions.  However, the second aim is to get the case seriously considered.

As recent as Saturday, the First group has admitted that "There are sound arguments against the planned changes" ... so I'm hopeful.

But I remain, to answer your original question, an unaffiliated private individual and local businessman with a personal interest in the line for myself, my customers, and the people of West Wilts.

Graham

P.S.  The web site is at
   http://www.savethetrain.org.uk/
and it's paid for (only a couple of quid a month) by my wife and I.   The real cost is in time updating it and writing letters.

My own CV / background is at
   http://www.grahamellis.co.uk