Save the Melksham Train
Archived Save the Train forum articles - 2005 to 2010. See below
Friday 20th May - Frome - 2057/4904
Written by Ruthg on Friday, 20th April 2007

So, how do I get to work today?

I can either drive to Westbury or I can wait and get the 08.05 that will get me in to Swindon for 09.42, if I'm lucky. Unfortunately this one's consistently late as it has to wait at Castle Cary for an HST to go through first ! Is this the shape of things to come...?  >:(

    Train Times for Frome (FRO)

Trains Last updated: 20/04/2007 06:39:43
From Timetabled
Arrival Expected
Arrival To Timetabled
Departure Expected
Departure Operator
Frome     Cardiff Central [font=Verdana]0647 [color=Red]Cancelled[/color][/font] First Great Western
Weymouth 0652 No report* Filton Abbey Wood 0652 [color=Red]No report*[/color] First Great Western              Actually cancelled see below
Westbury 0652 Cancelled Filton Abbey Wood [font=Verdana]0652 [color=Red]Cancelled[/color][/font] First Great Western
Bristol Temple Meads 0701 0710 Weymouth 0701 0711 First Great Western
Weymouth 0805 No report Cardiff Central 0805 No report First Great Western


Re: Friday 20th May - Frome - 2057/4914
Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Friday, 20th April 2007

The reports said they were laying on buses from Weymouth and Yeovil ...and they knew in good enough time to have a bus at Frome to leave on time for Westbury.  I'm guessing they didn't bother??

Re: Friday 20th May - Frome - 2057/4926
Written by Ruthg on Saturday, 21st April 2007

It turns out they did lay a bus on but I don't think it was particularly on time, I caught up with people who had been on it when I got to Westbury an hour later.

Re: Friday 20th May - Frome - 2057/4954
Written by CliveD on Monday, 23rd April 2007

The "reasons" given for the cancellations were:-

0647 - shortage of servicable rolling stock;
0652 - shortage of available train crew.

A bus did turn up at about 7:25 which started from Castle Cary, and those of us who were left (others made their own way) to be picked up got to Westbury to catch the 07:55 to Cardiff. Now, maybe FGW could have scored a brownie point by issuing a stop notice on the 0552 Exeter Paddington service to pick up Bruton and Frome passengers vice the Weymouth Filton to Westbury - was known to happen in BR days on a couple of occassions. Despite the fact that it is supposed to an intergrated Greater Western franchise of Great Western, Thames/FGW Link and Wessex Trains, they are still being run as seperate "companies", so integration is thus far non-exisitent.

Re: Friday 20th May - Frome - 2057/4969
Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Tuesday, 24th April 2007

I suspect that stopping the HST at Bruton and Frome would have delayed it by about 10 to 12 minutes - leaving it out of slot through Reading and "late" for the statistics into London.  These days, the late running of trains that can't be blamed on someone else have more of a financial effect on the TOC than passenger goodwill gestures to those who had been planning to travel on already-cancelled services.

 
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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