"The big issue for me is the future or our direct service to London Waterloo.  There's a lot of controversy over Department of Transport data which I reckon underestimates footfall ...."

- Wilshire Times, 27th January.

Well - there you go - Dr Murrison, with a consituency that includes Warminster, Westbury, and Trowbridge stations and comes very close to Melksham station has stated that his big railway issue is on the direct London Waterloo service. 

In a perfect world, I would like to see that service carry on running too - I applaud Dr Murrison if he catches the 09:28 from Trowbridge to Waterloo, arriving there at 11:49 for a day in parliament and that's much more sensible than driving. But wait - does Dr Murrison realise that there's also a train five minutes earlier - at 09:23 - which would get him into London at exactly the same time with a change at Salisbury.  It does appear that the inconvenience suffered by the loss of the through coaches might not be so severe as he might have imagined.  And what's the cost of running two (both subsidised?) trains 5 minutes behind each other?

Dr Murrison, if you consider that 5 minues is a big issue, think of your poor constituents who want to travel from Trowbridge to Swindon.  With the withdrawal of all but two trains a day from this December, journey times will be extended from 35 minutes by direct train to twice that time with a change of train at Bath, or to nearly an hour and a half by bus.

But you are dead right on footfall!  It's not a question of reckoning that the figures underestimate the journeys made - we're told that they do.  We're told that figures quoted are based on ticket sales and so do NOT include:
1. Journeys made on Rover tickets
2. Journeys made on Britrail passes
3. Journeys for which a general ticket (e.g. "London" rather than "London Waterloo") has been issued
4. Journeys on other types of non-specific ticket or concession
5. Journeys made by babes in arms
6*. Journeys for which fares are not collected

I'm also going to question season ticket figures - I simply don't know how many journeys are counted and whether they're overestimated or underestimated.  Considering that some weekly season ticket fares only cost twice the daily open return fare (e.g. Chippenham to London), could it be that it's at that level that they're allowed for in footfall statistics?


Note on 6:
6a) Fraudulent travel
6b) Journeys made because of diversion of services
6c) Jourenys for which there is no opportunity to pay - e.g. with substitute buses at weekends.

I spoke to and wrote to my MP (James Gray) and he spoke to Alison Forster in person on my behalf, but hasnt done much more than that.  Pity we cant get James Gray, Michael Ancram, Andrew Murrison and Robert Key in the same room!!