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Topic: My Melksham experience, last weekend (Read 1867 times)
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chris from nailsea
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Determined to attend a very important meeting in Melksham last weekend, I travelled by train, as follows:
Friday evening - FGW to Chippenham, to catch the vital 1901 connection to Melksham. I decided to catch the 1813 from Bath Spa (arriving Chippenham at 1824), rather than the 1843 (arriving Chippenham at 1855), just in case ... and I was glad I did!
The 1813 from Bath Spa went well until approaching Box Tunnel, but then stopped, apparently in the middle of nowhere. After several false starts by the train manager, trying to make announcements explaining the reason for the delay, we were told that 'there was a fault with the train but the driver was rectifying it'. We then resumed our journey, although there were loud mechanical noises from under the carriage I was sitting in. We arrived at Chippenham, late - but still in plenty of time for me to make that vital connection with the 1901 to Melksham!
I sat at Chippenham, waiting for the train National Rail Enquiries had suggested I should catch, the 1843 from Bath Spa. Initially shown on the screens as 'on time', that service started slipping, eventually arriving not at 1855 but at 1905. Not to be outdone, the train from Swindon that was to form my connection to Melksham was also delayed - but arrived at 1904! Therefore, as the delayed Chippenham to Melksham train departed, just as the delayed 1843 Bath Spa to Chippenham arrived, I would have missed the connection and spent a very cold and lonely night on the platform at Chippenham, if I hadn't caught that previous HST from Bath Spa!
The following day (after attending a very worthwhile meeting), I caught the 1519 from Melksham to Chippenham, for my connection to Bristol Temple Meads. I was the only passenger waiting at Melksham: the 1519 was a 143, with two staff in the front cab. The train stopped, and I pressed the door open button opposite me (at the rear of the train): no reaction, but the conductor gestured me right up to the front of the train (single door opened only) for me to get on the train! I dutifully jogged up to her single opened door, squeezed in, and we departed. She checked my ticket as she went through the train (confirming that I was going to change at Chippenham, with a cheery smile!) and disappeared into the back cab. I then realised, I was the only passenger on the whole train!
We got to Chippenham: I got off, and as far as I could see, nobody got on: therefore that train (with three crew) ran empty to Swindon.
The rest of my journey home went like clockwork, by the way!
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« Last Edit: April 01, 2008, 06:03:50 AM by chris from nailsea »
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Industry Insider
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We then resumed our journey, although there were loud mechanical noises from under the carriage I was sitting in. Therefore, as the delayed Chippenham to Melksham train departed, just as the delayed 1843 Bath Spa to Chippenham arrived, I would have missed the connection and spent a very cold and lonely night on the platform at Chippenham, if I hadn't caught that previous HST from Bath Spa!
What sort of mechanical noises? I mean a HST MK3 carriage is a fairly simple beast, one brake pipe runs through the train controlled via the driver controlling the leading power car. Some vehicles get 'flats' on the wheel occasionally which are generally no cause for concern, though are noticable if your seat is positioned above the affected axle/bogie. And if you'd have missed a recognised connection (i.e. one quoted via the NRE website), just contact station staff - i assume there would be some at 7pm on a weekday at Chippenham - who would be obliged (under the national conditions of carriage) to either a) get you to your destination via other means, or b) provide you with alternative accomodation for the night. |
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« Last Edit: April 01, 2008, 05:16:33 AM by Industry Insider »
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Sion Bretton
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When I have missed the connection as train from Bristol is later.
I have been put into a taxi. This happens when the 19.01 is cancelled.
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Graham Ellis
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Chris, welcome to the board.
I think that was the first - or perhaps second - Saturday this year that all the scheduled trains via Melksham (all four of them) actually ran!
From the summer of 2005 onwards, right through 2006, I travelled on the line during the week and at weekends, and was impressed by the heavier use made than were shown in figures ... and 120,000 journeys / 27000 ticket sales just at Melksham are quite impressive figures for a line that had one tenth of that traffic 5 years earlier. Even at that time, weekend engineering works were effecting services on about half the weekends.
Andrew Griffiths promised that we would see a huge change in reliability from December 2006 in conjunction with the change in timetable with the appalling cuts. He made it sound like "at least it will get better in reliability terms" but thinking back, he didn't actually say that and I suspect he knew all along that the remaining services, timed to make them impractical for most existing users to continue to patronise, would also be so unreliable that it would at time run near-empty.
The service has huge potential with very little needed to make it work properly - especially on a Saturday. Keep the service running every weekend unless there are engineering works actually on the line (no, it should NOT be replaced by a bus if there are works at Kemble!), use a train that shuttles up and down between the current very odd timings or instead of them, and the service can grow again. Feed it with publicity and, given 12 to 24 months, you'll have something that's even stronger.
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