Save the Melksham Train
Archived Save the Train forum articles - 2005 to 2010. See below
Could slower train schedules and longer timetabled journeys be good? - 128/302
Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Wednesday, 25th January 2006

The train from London was only running 15 minutes late, and the ongoing train from Swindon was only 2 minutes behind its schedule.

Re: Could slower train schedules and longer timetabled journeys be good? - 128/304
Written by Nick Field on Wednesday, 25th January 2006

It would be good news if timetbles were reorganised so that its more robust and lees people missed connections.  Back in the old BR days i think many brach line trains were often held if an express was running late.  This hardly happens nowadays

Re: Could slower train schedules and longer timetabled journeys be good? - 128/307
Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Thursday, 26th January 2006

My customers, coming from London this morning, chose not to [color=Red]risk[/color] the connection to Melksham because "we know how often the main line is delayed and we didn't want to be left stranded until lunchtime".  So they got the train to Chippenham and got a taxi ...

So - they would have used the Melksham train if either

1. The service was more frequent OR
2. The service had a better connection timing OR
3. The mainline train had a better reputation for timekeeping.



 
link to index of articles


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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