Save the Melksham Train
Archived Save the Train forum articles - 2005 to 2010. See below
Revenue prospects from Melksham - some myths exploded? - 4135/7755
Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Saturday, 22nd September 2007

[quote author=Lee link=topic=4124.msg7752#msg7752 date=1190453252]
Here are some other things that I noticed :

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

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

That is quoted from another thread but I think worth opening up as a fresh session.

Lee, I was reading that yesterday and prepared a case answering many of the comments;

Re: Revenue prospects from Melksham - some myths exploded? - 4135/7773
Written by philmcm on Sunday, 23rd September 2007

For what it's worth, as a regular London traveller who formerly used the Melksham service (as well Graham knows!), I now drive to Westbury rather than Chippenham to catch the train to Paddington.

Yes, it's further - but it's easier to get to and the parking's cheaper. Not much good for my carbon karma though.

Re: Revenue prospects from Melksham - some myths exploded? - 4135/8057
Written by WyvusArconius on Saturday, 6th October 2007

"2. Land is earmarked for a connecting road to make an arc between the A350 and A365, and the County Council has indicated a willingness to fund improvements here.

Re: Revenue prospects from Melksham - some myths exploded? - 4135/8063
Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Sunday, 7th October 2007

The 2007 bid was something of a long shot ... we got over a couple of hurdles but fell at a later one. Still - the case has been written / initially made.  The land is reserved for the purpose. Wilts County Council have written that they are minded to fund something like this to encourage a returned train service. And it would all make such sense.

Slight movement "on" ... discussion as to whether a bus gate, or a footpath, could be provided rather than a full road.  Even foot access woul dbe a huge help and development, and a bus gate would ease conjestion fears and worries about the road being used as a shortcut by cars when there are the seemingly-endless roadworks outside Aldi AGAIN!

Re: Revenue prospects from Melksham - some myths exploded? - 4135/8065
Written by WyvusArconius on Sunday, 7th October 2007

yes, having driven through Melksham in munerous occasions over the summer, I have become acustomed to the presence of road works. Is there any way that the council could be persuaded to act on this intial "good idea"? Is it worth including in any future bid to FGW about the possiblity of imporved links in this way?

Daniel

 
link to index of articles


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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