OK - the question's been asked several time - "Why this particular service" and "are you interested in other travel / transport issues".

The train service from Swindon to Salisbury and Southampton IS an important one at a county and regional level - it's been identified as such in Wiltshire Council's transport plan and the growth figures in spite of the infreqent service, poor stations in some towns and its abysmal reliability record (which may or may not be justified) rather confirms that.

It's also very much a lifeline connection to and from Melksham - there's many a long distance journey that starts or end here (and there would be a lot more short distance ones too if it ran every two hours as I advocate!).  Really - a straigh bus replacement just would not cut it;  National Express already run an Express coach service to London, but I've never known one of our customers use it even though we provide details to them.

I've received a great deal of advise - much of it wise - on campaigning. Some I've not followed - I don't have the balls nor the time to stand outside the DfT's regional office in Bristol and lobby the gentlemen there as they arrive for work.  Other advise has been gratefully followed.   But it raises further questions.  Should the campaign be (or have been) for the local issue, or for the strategic issue, or both?  Would time and effort be diluted if we looked wider, yet would we be seen as inward looking if we looked at the town of Melksham which is especially creully hit?   Alas, I can't answer the questions.

I do know that there's no point in campaigning just for the status quo.   You'll see that I'm pro-active in suggesting a more appropriate service than the one currently offered whcih is looking to the future and not for "retention at all costs" which would be a story set in the past and would lead, inevitably, to any victory we might have being reviewed again as they service became more anoachronistic.

My interests ARE wider. Yes, "TransWilts" is important.  So are good public transport opportunities to Bath (from Melksham, bus is sensiible), from Chippenham to Oxford (there's another service that got screwed up), sensible fare levels, car parking in the towns of North and West Wilts and so many, many other issues.  I've an interest in travel and transport so no doubt I'll concentrate on that - just like our MP almost exlusively takes an interest in defence and foreigh affairs ... but it's certainly wider that "Transwilts".

However - back on the subject of this forum.   I've been catching up on correspondence - several replies and notes out this morning and no doubt more will over the next few days and weeks.  It's hard to know what's going on in "Marsham Street" and in Swindon, but I want to be sure that they're fully informed as any decisions are taken.