Here is the text of a letter I have sent to my MP encouraging him to attend the debate in parliament on Tuesday.  Please read my text, and if you agree please ask YOUR MP to attend / put the case too.  Note that with the help of Mr Ancram, the Bedwyn folks have provisionally got sensible amendments to the draft timetable.  With his help, it COULD be done!

Dear Mr Ancram,

May I encourage you to attend the debate in Westminster Hall this coming TUESDAY, 09:30 to 11:00

"09.30-11.00 Mr Anthony Steen on specifications for the Greater Western Franchise and track maintenance"

The Great Western Franchise timetables, due to be signed off later this week by the Minister, continue to cause grave concern to us here in Melksham.  Although First group have proposed some improvements to the draft timetable for stations such as Bedwyn, I understand from a statement by their officers, and from a packed meeting in Trowbridge, that these proposals are just their aspirations and will not necessarily be what the minister signs off on just two days after the debate.

Current proposals for the Swindon to Southampton line, which provides the ONLY train service to call at Melksham in your constituency, remain the TOTAL WITHDRAWING of the service.  It would be replaced by just two round trips a day, one early in the morning before the rush hour, and the other in the early evening.

Traffic on the line has increased (according to Melksham ticket sale statistics which is all the office of the rail regulator could provide) by 8 times (from about 3,000 to over 27,000 per year) in five years, and the trains get progressively busier.  At least 3 people remain on the train for every one who leaves and joins, making an annual passenger count of around 100,000

According to Andrew Griffiths, the new Manager covering a wide area from Bristol including "our" line, it costs around 450,000 pounds per year to lease and crew a train, meaning that with a dedicated train and an average fair of 5 pounds the line would already break even.

Melksham, Trowbridge and Chippenham are all growing rapidly - one of the highest growth areas in the country - with many residents commuting to work.  A regular, reliable train service running every 2 hours and provided by a single car set would turn break-even this year into a handsome profit for First in years to come.

Please ask the minister to sanction / buy in to the provision of a two-hourly train service as outlined above (and in my fuller reports at http://www.savethetrain.org.uk/tt06.html and http://www.savethetrain.org.uk/fulltext2.html ) for the mutal benefit of all concerned. It would be doubly helpful if the First group could link it to the Southampton to Westbury shuttle which was restored in the 3rd April proposals, and once again provide a good interurban service from Swindon and Chippenham via Melksham to Salisbury and Southampton.

Many thank in anticipation of your help in this matter; I look forward to hearing from press sources, etc, how the debate went.

Graham Ellis

E-mail sent

Debate is now on ... I haven't heard whether or not my MP will be attending ...

looks like I had same mail here is my reply:

Thank you for your message about the debate on trains in the south west
held in Westminster Hall this morning.  It was well attended by MPs from
across the region.  I intervened in the debate to raise the specific
points about Melksham and the reduction in services and also the more
general points about the effects of these reductions on road usage, the
environment, business and the mobility of the elderly.  By definition
these debates are short and more about putting things on the record
rather than getting answers.

I will continue therefore to press Melksham's case.

Michael Ancram

i have received the following press release from James Gray:

MP FIGHTS FOR LOCAL TRAIN SERVICES

“I took the opportunity to speak in the Adjournment Debate which my colleague Anthony Steen, who represents Totnes in Devon, called on the First Great Western Franchise yesterday and to highlight the problems affecting my constituents who choose to commute,” said James Gray, North Wilts MP.  “I have had many representations from constituents on this issue, and specifically raised the question of frequency of trains on the Chippenham Southampton line, and the possibility of there being a new station at Corsham, which is a fast-growing area.  I will continue to press Ministers on both these points.”

The Waterloo service is a tough one.  I would NOT want it to be lost - it offers the only through trains from Bradford on Avon, Trowbridge and Warminster to London, and a London train from Bath and Bristol and Westbury to a usually much more convenient arrival point than Paddington, from where it always seems a long drag to where I want to go.   It also offers fares that are a fraction of what First charge.   Don't forget that an effect of First's actions at Melksham are to raise the cheapest weekday buy-on-the-day return fare to London from around 40 pounds to around 100 pounds

However the journey can be made with a change at Salisbury (and perhaps a second change at Westbury for Bradford on Avon Passengers after December) so the change would not have such a major effect as the Melksham proposals would on the passengers here.   But it's a bigger service, so there are more intrested parties - higher price, but higher stakes.