Archived Save the Train forum articles - 2005 to 2010. See below
Tom Harris Speech to Community Rail Marketing Workshop - 719/2126 Written by Lee on Friday, 1st December 2006
Here is a link to a speech by Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport , Tom Harris to the Community Rail Marketing Workshop on 29 November 2006. http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_railways/documents/page/dft_railways_613741.hcsp
Key quotes :
"Making every service count is about a number of things. It is about making sure that it runs at the right time. We know that timetables are often driven by the resource available, but within the limits of that resource, the operator and the partnership should be optimising that service. This itself is part of marketing - getting the product design right."
Not with specifications as restrictive as the Greater Western Franchise SLC2 , especially regarding Melksham where the timetable doesnt even conform to a very basic level of service (links below.) http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_foi/documents/page/dft_foi_612541.pdf http://www.savethetrain.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=409.msg1211#msg1211
"Making every service count is also about running reliably. It is good to see that the railway's performance is much improved in this respect - good news that is worth shouting about."
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Re: Tom Harris Speech to Community Rail Marketing Workshop - 719/2132 Written by admin (Graham Ellis) on Friday, 1st December 2006
There does appear to be a difference between what the minister is saying and what is happening on the ground.
Re: Tom Harris Speech to Community Rail Marketing Workshop - 719/2133 Written by Lee on Friday, 1st December 2006
My personal view , Graham , is that just focusing on Melksham will see us being ignored , as , frankly we have been thus far by First & the DfT.
The overall reaction to my proposals , including the piece of the jigsaw puzzle that relates to Melksham , appears to be overwhelmingly positive. The proposals also come at a time of growing protest action against the FGW cuts.
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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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