Save the Melksham Train
Archived Save the Train forum articles - 2005 to 2010. See below
Bus replacement in August - 349/1025
Written by Sion Bretton on Wednesday, 26th July 2006

Do we know if they are going to put up a poster to advise times of buses when the line is closed?

Re: Bus replacement in August - 349/1029
Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Thursday, 27th July 2006

Many timetables (but NOT as far as I can see details of the Westbury to Swindon service) are already posted at

[url]http://firstgreatwestern.co.uk/Content.aspx?id=281[/url]

If you look at the Paddington to Cheltenham, Bristol, S Wales tables there are a number of footnote "M" entries that say "To / From Westbury" and they've to the Chippenham and Swindon times.

Re: Bus replacement in August - 349/1031
Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Thursday, 27th July 2006

P.S. All the buses say they're to / from Westbury ... so I guess that passengers coming up from Frome in the morning will catch the 06:30 train to Westbury (arrive 06:38) and change into the 06:45 bus to get to Swindon for 08:20.

On return, the 17:43 bus from Swindon will (estimate) arrive at Westbury at 19:15 ... hopefully in time to catch the 19:17 connection on to Frome.

Re: Bus replacement in August - 349/1037
Written by Lee on Thursday, 27th July 2006

Here is an article on this (link below.)
http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/news/headlines/display.var.849737.0.commuters_to_face_train_chaos.php

Re: Bus replacement in August - 349/1038
Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Thursday, 27th July 2006

Oh - Bristol (and beyond) trains to London will pass through Melksham at 05:30, 06:40, 07:40 and 08:40, arriving in London around 85 to 90 minutes later, and return trains from London at 18:30 and 19:30 will pass through at 20:00 and 21:00. Pity they're non-stop between Reading and Chippenham.

So that week ....
Melksham to Swindon, just about an hour
Melksham to London could be done in an hour and a half.


 
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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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