I was at both Swindon and Chippenham yesterday, with a few minutes to spare before my train / bus left in each case ... and I took the opportunity to check up on the signage.

All Credit to First at Swindon - Melksham is now shown on the departure sheets (which wasn't the case is the Wessex Trains days, when staff used to avise you to get the train to Bath and catch the bus.

Just 5 out of 10 at Chippenham, though.   Although Melksham is shown on the departure sheets, astonishingly, Trowbridge is NOT.  But then perhaps First are aware of some antagonism between the towns and there is no indication of any Chippehnam trains at Trowbridge either.

Nowhere could I find any information about the 234 bus to Melksham at Chippenham station. Not inside the station, nor on the bus stop it leaves from - it didn't even list Melksham as a possbile destination.  Ouch.  As I wasn't sure of the timings myself, I asked at the ticket desk and the guy had a timetable - looked it up for me and was very helpful.  (That's why I say 5 out of 10 rather than 3)

To carry on my recent survey, signage at Melksham is far more readable than it used to be.  Couple of mixups with the words "from" and "to", but I didin't notice them until they were pointed out to me, and the timetable is now much more readable.  A couple of other slight gripes - with ticket sales to Salisbury, Bath and Bristol being 3 or the most popular, why aren't the connections shown?   And much though I like the area manager - he's very handsome and helpful (and probably blushing if he reads this) I do feel that a complete panel given over to him and his services is o.t.t. ... and it was much more useful when that panel contained directions to the town for visitors.

At Trowbridge, 1 out of 10, it's as is the Weymouth and Swindon lines didn't exist.  Sorry, but as I'm marking as far as TransWilts services are concerned I find it totally unacceptable that there is no indication at all of the trains to Melksham, Chippenahm and Swindon.   Quite astonishing.   Do the people who deside what signs to put up really think that no-one wants to go from the County town to the next stop up the line, nor from the county town to the largest town in the county?

The situation at Trowbridge is something I raised on 11th December with First.  I think I got a "thanks for letting us know" but no more.  The others - well - I guess I shouldn't just moan here but drop them a note ans suggest that these are things they might like to have a look into ...

Through trains only then ...

What a huge improvement could be made with a little taking into account of local conditions.   It's not just a question of people needing to know about the services they're about to use - it's also about raining awareness of those services to people who are looking at other destinations on the board.   Prime editorial content, to a market that's already busing train travel product.  Sickening that it's not being taken advantage of.