Proposed change - from December 2007

Save the Train forum

Dedicate to campaigning to retain an appropriate "TransWilts" passenger train service ... Swindon - Chippenham - Melksham - Trowbridge - Westbury - Dilton Marsh - Warminster - Salisbury ... and to other services too

THIS FORUM IS NOW A READ-ONLY ARCHIVE. Please use our Coffeeshop Forum for new posts

link to main site

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
May 24, 2012, 03:46:58 AM

Recommended service - hourly, according to the GWRUS. Let's work towards that service and towards ensuring all services are used.

7889 Posts in 5009 Topics by 97599 Members
Latest Member: EstiliNinslox

From the FOI request RFI716.

A proposal dated 14 May 2007 from Russell Evans to Andrew Griffiths, headlined "To improve the timetable offer on the Swindon-Salisbury corridor and at Frome"

Quote

Diagram as originally conceived: 0529 GCR-SOU 0815, 0825 SOUWSB 0932,1106 WSB-SOU 1217, 1226 SOU-BPW 1443, 1748 BPW SOU 2015, 2130 SOU-WSB 2237. .

Diagram as now proposed: 0529 GCR-SAL 0734, 0740 SAL-SWI 0850,0902 SWI-SAL 1017,1031 SAL-SWI1150, 1202 SWI-SAL 1317, 1331 SAL-SWI, 1450, 1502 SWI-SAL 1617,1624 SAL-BRI1733, 1748 BPW-SAL, 1938,2024 SAL-BPW.

Also Warminster as originally conceived: 0845 BPW-WSB 0954/ 1008 WSB-WMN 1017, 1028 WMN-GCR 1228, 1244 GCR-WSB 1434 / 1508 WSB-WMN 1518, 1528 WMN-GMV 1837; 1444 GCR-WSB 1629 / 1708 WSB-WMN 1717, 1728 WMN-GMV 2037. .

Diverting to Frome as proposed: 0845 BPW-FRO 1008, 1027 FROGCR 1228, 1244 GCR- FRO 1455, 1527 FRO-GMV 1837; 1444 GCRFRO 1640, 1727 FRO-GMV 2037 (NB no additional dwell time at Westbury southbound).

These are the changes that Andrew was so optimistic about when he came to the Melksham Railway Develoment Group at around that time, and the benefits were described as follows:

Quote

Benefits . The primary benefit is the provision of 3 extra services each way on the Melksham line, a 150% increase. The loss of services has been the cause of much adverse publicity and stakeholder concern.

The proposed pattern also gives an 0850 arrival at Swindon, much better for commuters. . 2 extra return journeys on the Salisbury-Westbury section .

Better connectivity for all stations between Salisbury and Swindon, with extra connectional journey opportunities at either end. .

Frome (a large town with substantial latent demand) has 3 two-hour gaps plugged and comes closer to an hourly pattern through the main part of the day. The quantum rises from 12 to 15. .

Southbound Warminster terminating services timed to be overtaken by Cardiff-Portsmouth services at Westbury, and thus would be very lightly used. Turnarounds also less robust there than at Frome. .

No additional unit or crew diagrams required

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. It was "put into context" in the document as follows:

Quote

As originally proposed, Wiltshire thus loses out to Hampshire; but if the redundant Salisbury-Southampton legs were reallocated to working Salisbury-Swindon this would accrue considerable benefits to Wiltshire at marginal loss to Hampshire - described as "All of the remaining 3 FGW local services to Southampton run no more than 11 minutes in advance of the new SWT services, and so will be very lightly use".

I have learnt to always be VERY careful not to suggest services should go from other lines but, in all honesty, I don't see that the users of Mottisfont and Dean stations would begrudge us our train for the sake of them having two trains at an interval of 11 minutes. Comments, anyone?

BUT the proposals were - in the end - still born. The changes above as I write have been dropped for this December, and it seems that considerable benefits to Wiltshire haven't been followed through to fruition.

Perhaps the new boss of FGW, Andrew Haines, would like to see if he can flick the switch the other way - it is demonstrably in everyone's interest!

Here are some other things that I noticed :

1) David Phillips (Wiltshire County Council , hereafter shown as DP) & Andrew Griffiths (First Great Western , hereafter shown as AG) disagreed on how many passengers were using the former 1320 Westbury - Swindon service.

2) AG looked at splitting one of the 4 - coach Weymouth services on Summer Saturdays so that 2 coaches started from Swindon instead of Bristol.

3) AG was directly responsible for taking units away from the Cornish Branch Lines in January 2007 , thus causing their bustitution. How does this square with his former reputation as their "saviour"?

4) Even if we had them , DP's revenue forecasts would be unreliable , as they are mainly based on guesswork.

5) Rose Costello (First Great Western) was broadly negative as to the revenue prospects of an enhanced Melksham service (DP attempted to counter this.)

6) They all knew that the Melksham line was going to be developed as a freight route , but let me be carry on being branded as a conspiracy theorist. Thanks guys!!

7) The Severn Beach 40 min frequency service was doomed as early as May 2007 , because AG admitted that no extra crews could be found , even if the rolling stock existed.

8 ) The formal stakeholder version of the December timetable did not include the extra Melksham trains.

9) The extra Melksham trains proposal would also have seen extra services for Frome.

10) The December 2007 timetable should have been published on the FGW website 16 weeks ahead of its start date. We are well past that now.

11) FGW & WCC had given up on the extra Melksham trains proposal as early as 25 May 2007.

12) I would draw your attention to the fact that the proposed 1031 Salisbury - Swindon service was scheduled to arrive at the Swindon bay platform at around the same time as the 1154 Swindon - Cheltenham service was due to depart.

13) You will recall that the extra Melksham trains proposal did not include a viable evening peak departure from Swindon.

This could well be because the optimum time slots for this (1715 , 1731 and 1745) were all taken up by HST services in the Draft December 2007 timetable.

The 1731 slot is "free" in the current timetable.

Quote from "Swindon - Westbury Option Development" :

"Prior to 2001 - only 1 or 2 trains each way

eg Swindon arr 0833 dep 1836 (1999)

Around 10 weekday journeys to/from Melksham

Low level of use from other stations (about a quarter of 2006 use)"

The 14 May 2007 proposal would have been of little use to us (although better than nothing , which is what we virtually ended up with) , because commuters would still have faced too long a day in Swindon.

By the way , here is a link to the FOI request.
http://www.savethetrain.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=4123.msg7739#msg7739

Page created in 0.065 seconds with 19 queries.