It was suggested elsewhere that there's no longer any need for groups that campaign against closure, as in the current political climate it would be impossible to push such a closure though. But in my view, there needs to be a watch kept against tricks and techniques that are used to lessen the service and reduce its effectiveness to the extent that the service is almost as little use as if it was totally gone.
Perhaps these techniques are employed intentionally - to make it easier to quietly remove the service all together, later on. I don't know, but we should remain on guard.Full article at:
http://www.canber.co.uk/?q=node/51Some additional notes (mostly TransWilts specific) that show where these techniques have all been used. Some of these may now be history, but very recent history ... and I expect we'll find other things in due course
1. Don't display the timetables
-- look for times to Swindon at Trowbridge!
2. Run only in Marginal Times
-- 06:15 and 18:45 services only - Swindon to Westbury
3. Saturday or Sunday (or Tuesday!) service Only
-- Pilning
4. The one way train - no way back
-- Polesworth, Shippea Hill
5. Failing connections - scheduled to miss by five minutes
-- From London into the 06:15, Swindon to Melksham
6. Parliamentary service
-- Just one train a day from Keynsham direct to Filton
7. Replacement by bus due to health and safety
-- Newhaven Marine
8. Oops - no way to get on the platform
-- Norton Bridge
9. It's not advertised
-- Ealing to Wandsworth
10. "Didn't you see the consultation paper behind the filing cabinet?"
-- SRA "consultation" on FGW franchise
11. "Support wasn't unaninymous"
-- One guy from outside the area suggested that the Train used on the Transwilts be moved to improve a local service from his station.
12. Price 'em off
-- Swindon to Salisbury - 50 pounds direct (TransWilts line), 21 pounds with a change at Bath
13. Don't put it on the National Rail site.
-- For a time, only one of the two daily transwilts trains (the 06:15 off Swindon) was offered, with evening commuters to Melksham being told to change at Bath and Trowbridge
14. "Dont talk about it - you might make it happen" says the civil servant
-- [name withheld] - Senior person at the DfT
15. Don't distribute the right timetable
-- FGW have sent Melksham TIC timetables for Chippenham and Trowbridge but NOTHING that includes Melksham. And (as of 1st Jan, but it may have been replaced), the Market Place bus stop in Melksham showed train times that expired in May 2008 and lacked the current service details.
16. Bustitute frequently
-- Westbury - Swindon is bustituted if there are diversions in effect, or if the Swindon - Gloucester line is shut.
17. Make 'em change buses
-- Westbury to Melksham - if there's a bus running Westbury - Bath, start the TransWilts bus at Trowbridge - so that passengers coming from (say) Warminster have to change twice.
18. Leave 'em standing at unmanned stations without phone or information
-- The information point at Melksham is regularly out of use for months at a time, and there is no public phone.
19. "Not my responsibility" - smoke and mirrors.
-- FGW -> DfT -> W(C)C -> FGW.
20. Don't provide any means of selling tickets and counting passengers
-- On substitute bus services at Chippenham / Melksham; not only are tickets no checked but sometimes the can't even be bought if you want to.
21. Run to a destination that offers little traffic
-- Dilton Marsh - many passengers want(ed) to go to Salisbury, but trains now often terminate at Warminster just AFTER the Salisbury train has left
Could add 22 "These things take time to put right" and "We'll commission a report" when asked to act!
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