Save the Melksham Train
Archived Save the Train forum articles - 2005 to 2010. See below
Did the 06:44 run? - 2399/5437
Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Tuesday, 29th May 2007

I'm in some doubt as to whether the 06:19 from Swindon ran this morning - my First bulletin told me that the 05:29 Cheltenham to Westbury was cancelled due to crew shortage, but the live timetable shows it as being 3 late.

By the way - I understand that all services on the TransWilts line (Swindon to Westbury) are now allocated to Gloucester crews rather than staff based at Westbury.

Re: Did the 06:44 run? - 2399/5445
Written by Sion Bretton on Tuesday, 29th May 2007

I went for this train this AM but the info point advised it was cancelled and to ring 0845 7484950 for details of other travel arrangements. I called it they said ring First's Customer Service but the dod not open until 7am, I went home got into the car and drove to Trowbridge  >:(

Re: Did the 06:44 run? - 2399/5452
Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Wednesday, 30th May 2007

The terms "customer service", "pissup" and "brewery" come to mind.

You would think that with all the experience of handling cancellations in the last six months, the system for keeping people informed might have been sorted out by now.  Either that, or we could take the "conspiracy theory" and suggest that ...

Re: Did the 06:44 run? - 2399/5453
Written by CliveD on Wednesday, 30th May 2007

The train did run this morning - it was 21 minutes late arriving into Westbury, and then formed the 0705 Westbury Southampton instead of attaching to the 0535 Weymouth Cardiff, which ran as a 2 coach 158 unit. Consequently, the Cardiff was 12 minites late leaving Westbury because the Guard that works it forward comes off the Gloucester Westbury, and according to him, there was a freight train separation in the Standish area south of Gloucester in the northbound direction this morning.



Re: Did the 06:44 run? - 2399/5459
Written by Sion Bretton on Wednesday, 30th May 2007

Yes I was told today on the 6.44 yesturdays ran, todays arived at 07.10 but info point did not advised it was late.

 
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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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