The following was written to us at the "Save the train" web site, and is reproduce here with the permission of the writer.

The consultation period for the regional spatial strategy does not end until late August, and the regional economic strategy is not yet published, therefore it is premature and undemocratic to publish a 'final' timetable for this line.  The spacial strategy talks much of greater links with London and Birmingham being vital to the continued success of the region and this line does just that, providing the only existing link between most of Wiltshire's major towns and London via both Salisbury and Swindon and Birmingham via Swindon/Cheltenham.

Bath is now overcrowded - worse than Temple Meads and has no in door disabled access, existing access is via ramps and road.  There are also ticket inspection points at the top of both stair cases at Bath, which are a hazzard to the visually and mobility impaired.  The direct route via Melksham provides covered ramp access to trains to Exeter and Waterloo and the trains themselves are fully accessible.

The line between Portsmouth and Cardiff is extremely over subscribed and getting a seat for the elderly, very young and disabled is almost impossible.  Closing/delimitating this line, in my opinion contravenes government policies on disability discrimination and social inclusion and, as stated above, is, at this time, undemocratic.

Chippenham is planned to grow substantially, as is Swindon, between now and 2026 and reducing the effectiveness of this line will inevitably put more traffic on the road over time and therefore contravene agenda 21 environmental strategies locally, in contravention of the aims of the draft regional spatial strategy and it's supporting studies.

I regularly use the 17:42 service to Salisbury in order to access a connecting service to Axminster, and used to use the return routes when they ran four times a day to Swindon, and reducing/removing this service will greatly adversely effect me.  I am partially sighted and travel with my three children, and Bath Spa provides me with many challenges when making changes between trains, let alone the constant overcrowding on the connecting service to Salisbury.  I would greatly miss this service.  Over time however, I have found it impossible to get through train service information via this line due to computer problems at National Rail Enquiries, due, they tell me, to some cross-operator pricing anomalies, if direct service information had been consistently available, at stations, on the phone and via mobile/standard internet, then more passengers would have used it for sure.  I've had to fight at times to get service information, leading me to the conclusion that this service was for some reason set up to fail!

The service should not be cut, but should instead be returned to it's former level.

Genuine service information should be made available via all media (phone, internet, WAP, station enquiries).

The line should be publicised as an alternative to travel via the now much overcrowded Bath Spa Station, which in turn was meant to relieve Temple Meads (all to0 successfully).

Timetable links should be strengthened with those to Cheltenham to form a corridor service from the south coast to London and the Midlands, also relieving Reading to some degree.

The line should be given a genuine fighting chance of survival, coupled with a (substantive) feasibility study after a couple of years or so.

Adrian Robinson
Swindon Borough Council

I to look forward to hearing First Comments.

A Further response ....

We are working hard to improve disabled access at stations.  Bath Spa will have lifts to both platforms in 2008, and Westbury will too soon after.  We have just secured 7 'Access for All' grants for improving disabled access, including for Bradford-on-Avon.  We will always do our best to help any mobility impaired passenger, including advising on where best to change trains.

To my untutored view, it looks like we've got a retrograde step as far as disabled travellers from (for example) Swindon to Trowbridge are concerned ... and for travellers with heavy luggage, mothers with puchchairs too .... in December 2006.

Sometime in 2008, part of the retrograde step will be recovered as changing at Bath will be made easier.   But let's not fool ourselves - that net result is three steps backwards and one forward a year later.  Net result - two steps backwards.