Dear Graham,

Tony Anthistle has asked me to contact to you regarding you email.

I have carried out some investigation into what is happening and why.  It
appears that the following is the case.
   Services 232 and 234 were to be re-routed via Chippenham Railway Station
   as part of the First Great Western franchise bid.
   First Great Western decided the only the 232 will be re-routed via
   Chippenham Railway station and not service 234.
   In order to extend the 234 to the railway station the service will
   require an additional bus.  The raises of cost.
   The change to Service 232 has been registered to commence on the 28th
   May 2006.
   Unfortunately, these journeys are not timed to meet trains at the
   station.  Service 232 will operate hourly.
   The evening journeys on the Services 234 and 263 are interworked, at
   this point again there is not enough time in the journeys to extend them
   to the station.  In order to do this we will require an additional
   vehicle, and once again this raises the question of cost.

If you wish I can go through these issues with you in greater detail, and
perhaps we can discuss your aspirations for services in this area and we
can see whether these can be accommodated.

many thanks,

Simon Newport
Service Delivery Manager, Bristol

Comment from Wiltshire County Council on this story:

We did not have sight of First's bid, and so are unable to comment upon whether or not they have any contractual obligations regarding the bus service.

Wiltshire County Council would not consider a rail-replacement bus service as a satisfactory alternative to the train service - We tried running a bus as a substitute for a Melksham train many years ago and it was a notable failure. Customers just didn’t use it.

 The Council has been discussing the extension of service 234 to the rail station for a long time. This would be for the improvement of interchange - not as a rail-replacement arrangement. However 234 is a commercial service and First can run it largely as they wish.

 

The added significance of this is not just that the 234 runs between Chippenham - Frome via Melksham , but that the 232 runs between Bath - Chippenham via Corsham , where a new station is proposed.

The SRA provided RPP funding for a new station at Corsham , with a planned opening date of 2003. However , they then proceeded to withdraw the Oxford - Bristol service that would have called there.

The SRA took the following view of the Corsham station proposal in the Great Western Main Line Route Utilisation Strategy (June 2005 , Page 84 of the link below.)
http://www.sra.gov.uk/pubs2/stratpolplan/GWMLRUS/GWRUS.pdf

"Scheme design and development was previously undertaken. The business case for the station is currently poor due to cost escalation as a result of unforeseen ground conditions and the withdrawal of the Oxford - Bristol trains which were to have provided the service (the SRA were the ones who withdrew the service.)

Unlikely to proceed at the present time."

As has been noted elsewhere on this site , campaigners continue to fight for a new station at Corsham.

The fact that First appear to have included re-routing the 232 Bath - Corsham - Chippenham bus service via Chippenham railway station as part of their bid for the Greater Western Franchise seems to indicate that they see the bus , not the train , as the future provider of public transport for Corsham. The fact that First won the franchise based on that bid appears to indicate that the DfT share that view.

That , of course , is only my assessment. If First or the DfT were to announce that a new station was to open at Corsham , then I would happily admit to being proved wrong.

A couple of Parliamentary Written Questions have been asked that are related to this issue (link below.)
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmordbk1/60714w01.htm

Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many applications (a) to change and (b) to modify bus routes have been made to the traffic commissioners in each area of England in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Mr Christopher Chope (Christchurch):To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on how many occasions the traffic commissioners have intervened (a) to prevent and (b) to modify a change to a bus route of which they had been notified in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

So let's see, Sion.

You arrived at Chippenham at (say) 13:10.  Walked to Bus Station, there at 13:25.  Bus left at 14:00, and arrived in Melksham at 14:26. That's one hour and 16 minutes from arriving in Chippenham to arriving in Melksham.

Had there been a train ... you arrive at Chippenham at (say) 12:40. Connecting train on to Melksham at 13:00, arrive Melksham 13:10. That's 30 minutes from arriving in Chippenham to arriving in Melksham.

(Bus timings taken from current timetable, "Melksham train" times from my suggestion of January, 2006, to DfT and First.  Actually, the train timings could be even better - that 20 minute wait at Chippenham cuts to a 5 minute connection at Swindon off a South Wales service, meaning that you would have saved 61 minutes if the proposed train service was available.))

Thanks, Sion .. you took 2 hours and 35 minutes (bus from Chippenham) ... train alternative would have taken 1 hour and 40 minutes (i.e. 55 minutes faster), but there wasn't a train at that time.   Rather confirms my example 

(I too will take buses rather trains where appropriate ... I was on the 234 just the other week, connecting from the National Express from Heathrow.  Train via Paddington / Rail Air link via Reading just don't cut it, and I'm certainly NOT going to drag my luggage up from the National Express bus stop in Chippenham to the station to get the train for the last leg, when the 234 is just over the road and was due)


Edited to correct typo