Here's the standard text I've provided, but you can provide your own instead if you wish.
I'm writing to ask you for your support in saving the train service
from Swindon in Wiltshire, via Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge and
Westbury to Salisbury, Romsey and Southampton.
Although many improvements have been made to the draft timetables
that were published in January, the through service from Southampton
to Swindon remains withdrawn in its entirety, with just two trains
left on the Swindon to Westbury section ... a line on which there
has been 35% compound growth over each of five years, and where
passenger journeys are 109,000 per annum - that's an AVERAGE of
32 passengers per train, rather that the average figure of just
12 that was quoted as justification for the decision. This sample
was based, I understand, on a snapshot survey conducted over a
few days and is clearly unrepresentative now that the whole year
figures are available.
Particularly badly hit by the changes would be the town of Melksham
(pop 24,000 and growing rapidly) which would loose ALL its daytime
trains. But there are also major implications for longer distance
travel in the South West - journeys such as Salisbury to
Chippenham and Southampton to Swindon.
Further information is available at:
http://www.savethetrain.org.ukWith 32 (and NOT just 12) passengers per current train, it makes
economic sense to run a service every two hours from Westbury to
Swindon - continuing the Southampton to Westbury Shuttle that First
will be running through 2007. The currently proposed limited
service on this section - with a single commuter train to Swindon
arriving there before quarter to 8, and leaving to return after
half past six an night - is unattractive, and I can't see it
attracting much custom. With the bus taking 2 and 3 times as long
for the equivalent journey, and not even connecting to the train at
Chippenham at all, nor at Trowbridge in the evening, most of the
109,000 journeys will transfer to the already crowded A350 and A36
roads and cause more jams through and around Salisbury, Westbury,
Beanacre and Swindon.
Yours sincerely,
Author
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