Letter to the editor, Wiltshire Times ....

Dear Sir,

I'm writing to express my disgust at the new train timetable that First will be operating from this December, and in particular its effect on Westbury and Melksham.

Westbury was to have an hourly semi-fast service to London during the day ... that was in all the draft timetables, but in the final edition published last Friday, First have cut this service back to Bedwyn, leaving just occasional and erratically timed London trains during the day.

Melksham has fared even worse.  "Use it OR loose it" they told us in 2001, and we (the residents of Melksham and users of the service) responded with an increase in ticket sales from 3,000 to over 27,000 per year.  They should have said "use it AND loose it";  in response to a seven times increase in ticket sales, the service is being slashed. Until 8th December, you have a choice of 7 departures from London for Melksham each weekday - at 07:45, 11:05, 13:15, 15:05, 16:30, 19:35 and 20:45.  from 11th December, there's just one train connecting from London at 17:30.

There's been a game of "cat and mouse" going on between the Department for Transport, the First Group, and Wilts County Council over these services, with each pointing at the others as being the ones who have made the decision or who could save the service.   The victims of the game are the people of West Wiltshire, especially those who have to use the train because they can't afford a car, or they're unable to drive for medical reasons; for these people, a change involving 6 flights of stairs at Bath, or a walk across Chippenham from rail station to bus station is not a practical option.

Yours faithfully,


Graham Ellis