Frome is a town that's closely comparable to Melksham - similar in size, and in many ways a "West Wilts" group town even though it is in Somerset.  So from time to time I'll make the comparisions.   Being short of pictures, I went there yesterday and here's the 15:21 Bristol train, with the doors just opening



That's the second of just 4 northbound trains on Sunday; there are only three southbound, and it's notable just how many people were gathered at the station to get on.  (I arrived on the train going the other way - quite a lot of folks got off that too). 

Also notable about Frome station ... It's at the back of a business area (just like Melksham), but it's very smart and obvious there.  Station facilities include a real time departure system, station announcements, a telephone, a loo and booking office (but they were closed yesterday), charged car parking via Ring and Go, plenty of information boards including ones telling you about the town and where to get the bus from.

Frome is a good comparison in other ways too ... service levels were (very roughly indeed) comparable in 2005 / 2006 - but theirs has been gently increased since including a through London service, whereas the TransWilts has been slashed.  Perhaps the usage we see in this picture might be what we would have seen on what is still a winter Sunday afternoon in Melksham if we had any trains - or perhaps some of the traffic is also due to the pride taken in the station by the Community Rail Partnership that includes it (and others).