I had customers visiting us here in Melksham for the day on Friday .... from Gloucester.    Now I have always questioned the travel potential from Cheltanham, Gloucester and the Stroud Valley to Chippenham and Melksham - I see the linkage of the services into a through route at Swindon more as an operational convenience rather than as something that's very desirable to a significant number of travellers.

But the only option offered was an 05:29 from Gloucester, arriving at Melksham at 06:44 .... with a return service at 19:50, getting in to Gloucester at 21:13.   My customers decided this was too long a day, and made other arragments that did not involve any First Group services 

What *should* have happened?

The minimum appropriate service as a first step up for the TransWilts is one that truely addresses the peak hour / commuter and day visitor needs.   Trains from Westbury at 07:00 and 08:00, 16:45 and 19:30 ... and from Swindon at 06:15 and 08:45, 17:45 and 18:45.  That's the point at which the see-saw WILL tip.

For my Gloucester visitors?  From Gloucester at 07:45, arriving in Melksham at 09:10, returning from Melksham at 17:10 and getting home to Gloucester at 18:44.  Not fast - but a day that would be 285 minutes shorter that the current - supposed - "peak hour service"!