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    | Welcome to News and Views 
 Three weeks ago, I launched "Save the Train" and in three weeks ... from a standing start ... I've had 300 visitors to the web site.
 
 Every day, I receive emails of encouragements to help Save the Train on the Swindon - Chippneham - Melksham - Trowbridge - Westbury corridor and every day I think "I want to add THAT to the web site. What better mechanism that this daily diary, or Blog?
 
 Written 2005-09-07 07:04:25
 
 Available entries ...
 
 Welcome to News and Views
 The story so far
 Looking slightly wider
 Don't let this become history!
 Meeting, 20th September - getting nervous
 Encouraging traffic not just warm words
 Official (Government) view ... and I agree
 Excursion!
 Don't believe everything you hear
 Old pictures. Not to be repeated event
 Meeting!
 Great meeting but just a start.
 35% Growth in one year - Melksham ticket statistics
 Swindon to Trowbridge
 Regularity,  Reliability, Realistic connections
 Core meeting
 Didn't you read page 52 of web document?
 An easy timetable - Melksham to Chippenham and Swindon
 Would this government close a station completely?
 Quotes from Government
 Tuesday, 18th October - Kiss and Ride day
 Six NEW factors why the TransWilts train that serves Melksham should be enhanced and not cut
 And more train users ...
 Try the train on 18th October
 Tracking codes for TransWilts stations
 New stats prove it - the service IS used
 Bump from Glasgow
 Ready for Tuesday
 Kiss and Ride report
 A case of the tail wagging the dog??
 The system is overcomplex - no wonder some odd things happen
 Warminster Bus Running Day, 2005
 The storm's eye?
 A disappointing letter
 Some scenes at Melksham Station
 Monday morning, Melksham Station
 Busy train at Melksham
 Forum Archives available
 A THOUSAND visitors
 What does it cost to run a train?
 Timetable - Melksham to Reading and London
 Plus a footnote - Melksham to London
 A bustle before the 17:02
 STILL worth writing. To MP, To Dft, to bidders.
 Keeping the campaign tail up
 Don't drink and drive - drink and train.
 Driving customers away?
 Latest official answer
 At Temple Meads today
 Melksham and TransWilts train service - closure by stealth?
 From the rumour mill
 A Quandry
 Santa Claus at Melksham Station
 Train service fading away too?
 Greater Western Franchise awarded
 First Group - First answer on Melksham
 First specific Melksham rumour ...
 Virtually no service - or excellent service. Request the latter.
 Should badgers be culled?
 Melksham rail traffic up 33% in 3 months
 Upside Down
 Every journey has a story
 New fares from 2nd January 2006
 No final decision yet
 Even new stations don't always survive
 A comparison across the world
 Christmas service - unrequired, or just unprovided?
 Update
 New year, 2006
 Bustitution - buses for trains on Saturdays and Sundays
 New Sign
 The Meeting Season
 Reply from MD of First Great Western
 Wilts County Council could save the Melksham / Transwilts train
 What does First pay the government for Greater Western?
 Railway statistics and Melksham comparisons - how do we stand?
 Winners and losers in the Devizes constituency
 First want to hear your aspirations
 Repeat - PLEASE write in with your aspirations
 Were they purchasing votes?
 Current status ...
 Further threats
 Keep watching - coming to the boil!
 Recent Correspondence
 From my postbag ...
 Timetable consultation coming up
 Waiting, with baited breath
 Meeting with a local MP
 Today or tomorrow
 Draft Timetable is here
 Out with the old users, in with the new
 On the 05:52 this morning
 Background and opinion
 Draft timetables (continued)
 Three and a half answers out of 4
 A week is a long time
 Roger Jones answers 5 months later!
 Safer current trains - the 06:56, 07:45 and 18:09
 INPUTS NEEDED by 8th March
 Meetings and Consultation Responses
 A whole pile of responses
 Ploughing back OUR money, not theirs.
 New pages and information
 On supporting other campaigns ...
 Not just the TransWilts and Melksham ...
 Service failure looses more customers
 The Waiting Game
 Real time train monitoring
 Someone can't wait!
 High emotion
 UPDATE - new timetables
 An update - BAD, BAD news for Melksham ...
 First - transforming travel
 Constituency Changes
 Southampton to Westbury RESTORED
 Friday, 21st, Trowbridge
 Meeting, Friday 21st
 Celebrating a closure
 Meeting, tonight
 Friday's meeting
 What SWPTUF says
 Meeting, 21st - notes
 Parliamentary Debate, 25th April
 First back down or buses too.
 Diary Date - 12th May
 Waverley
 RailFuture meeting today
 RailFuture meeting - some gems
 First way to get rid of customers?
 Friday meeting - invite and details
 It gets worse
 Every so often, stop and look
 Bus service costs 25 pounds per passenger to run?
 Carrying fresh air around?
 Home soon.
 Put yourself in their shoes
 Lies, damned lies and statistics
 Our battle ....
 ... is part of a planned war
 Political pressure - press release
 How to catch the 18:48 from Chippenham - the DfT suggests
 Internet connection issues
 Selling off any possibility of improvement
 Letter from Derek Twigg
 Important but not refreshing meeting
 Welcome for Michael Ancram and Chris Grayling
 Visit by Chris Grayling and Michael Ancram
 Friday, 7th July - Melksham
 Rail future - the First Alternative
 Pivotal decison - to grow or to strangle?
 Bad news coming?
 In praise of estate agents
 Press Release - Open Access operator negotiations
 Open Access case strengthened
 A desire for honesty
 Flowers for Melksham. Flowers at Melksham.
 Has our publicity reached the right people?
 One year on
 A year on - an empty bank holiday
 Bus connections to Melksham from Chippenham
 Is this train used?
 If its working well, change it so it doesnt.
 20% service cut = 40% traffic cut?
 A difficult choice for voters
 Consultant's reports recommended a modest INCREASE
 From Ystrad Mynach
 Taunton meeting
 More cancellations
 Passenger or lemmings
 Behind the new timetable
 Is this fare?
 Returning from their UK course
 End of term - don't care
 Current and future summary
 2 weeks to go
 Fading away?
 Coming to a course in Melksham
 Last Week - Press Release
 Fizzle
 They're gone ... but ...
 New service - first impressions
 "Told you so"
 Christmas, 2006
 Welcome to 2007
 PLEASE LOBBY - First, Dft, County Council, your MP
 Key players
 Keeping the diary rolling
 End game?
 Save the Train v More Train, Less Strain
 Invite letter - 5th March 2007 meeting
 IMPROVED PUBLIC TRANSPORT LINKS ACROSS WILTSHIRE?
 Passengers or Customers?
 A fast-moving story?
 The traveller, not the train!
 Report - Monday night's meeting - press brief
 What is happening?
 Reply to Petition
 Petition Response - detail, opinion, context
 Government pressure to shut up.  But let us look forward.
 Asking for the political and part views
 Helsinki and Heathrow to Melksham - Saturday
 Gordon Dodge, Rest in Peace
 An update
 The way forward - improved service and improved station
 A roundup from a MELKSHAM perspective
 Update being updated!
 News Roundup - a LOT is happening
 Diary notes
 New faces - mayors and chairs.
 We have another hill to climb
 Radio - tomorrow morning?
 Weymouth, Poor Provisional, and Sunday
 A Comparison - travel in the USA by train
 The Ghost Train, Purton
 How to fill platforms, and railway company coffers too!
 FSB - North and West Wilts Commitee - Federation of Small Businesses
 Frustrated but not depairing
 Front page update
 Comment on December timetables
 A First to Stagecoach comparison
 Does the new man want to play hard?
 And the week ends with two more cancellations!
 Comparing a Wiltshire town with a Norfolk one
 Commutes are longer, and in the west we may know why
 Campaigning Mantra - Philosophy behind the case
 30 late, and a bus not a train ....
 Staffing-go-round - but the campaigners carry on
 Rail user groups do NOT represent rail users?
 Cancellations, Changes and Crass Christmas
 First Great Western's Melksham service branded "a disgrace"
 A pile of 160 train tickets for tomorrow
 Santa Claus spotted at Swindon Station
 TransWilts trains ceased a year ago. Lets look forward
 Trains to and from Melksham - Timetable from Dec07 to May08
 Happy Christmas everyone!
 How have trains being doing in the last 48 hours?
 Asda - an opportunity that can be used or squandered
 Another slap in the face from First Great Western
 On truthfully advertising the case
 Fare Strike Day
 Comparing a different part of the country
 Where has our train gone?
 Want to comment?  You're welcome on the forum
 An unusual journey for me - some observations
 Milk producers
 Meeting Season
 The heart says "public transport", the head forces car
 Not a Swiss clock railway this morning
 Senseless service - could become sensible
 Terminal 5 - a portent for the Olympics?
 Loss of train - loss of job
 Population growth, but congested roads
 Road - busy ... railway - no trains, so no users
 One long journey ends and another begins
 Campaign update - news for December 08 / 09 / 10 / 11 ...
 Preserved Railways - a look forward
 Spring 2009 Campaign update
 
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