Save the Melksham Train
STOP PRESS - we have heard from First Great Western in the last few days, as follows:

"We had hoped that we could organise an additional service through Wiltshire serving Melksham in particular. We looked very carefully at all the options, but whilst the plan received good support, and remains something we want to do, the cost of the new service is considerable. It will not be covered by the revenue that the service will generate, and as a commercial organisation we can only therefore proceed if we can find some joint funding to offset the costs. Despite our efforts this has to not proved possible to date, and we will not be able to offer any extra services in the next timetable due out in December.

"We will continue to discuss the plans with stakeholders and will keep looking for a partner to help finance the service, but this will not be possible before the December 2009 timetable (at the earliest)."

See who has signed up to pledge support, more details of the validated service that has just had the plug pulled and some personal comment
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Melksham / transWilts - latest stats

From the Office of the Rail Regulator

Thanks for your recent email which was forwarded to us from the Department of Transport (DfT), as we deal with most enquiries for rail data.

We have had to consult DfT about your enquiry. Usage levels on through stretches of line are not easy to calculate, but usage of particular stations is fairly easily available. So what we have done is to download from our database estimates of usage for Melksham station in terms of journeys from and to the station since 1999/00 up to 2004/05. The total number of journeys as recorded on the database to/from Melksham is as follows:
1999/2000 3,637
2000/2001 3,267
2001/02 13,701
2002/03 19,135
2003/04 20,841
2004/05 27,435


These figures include all journeys that specifically mention Melksham as the Origin or Destination (so this includes journeys made using railcards). The only journeys excluded (to our knowledge) are if any Rover tickets are available in the area and of course journeys made without purchasing a ticket. Tickets purchased on board trains are included.

In other words, traffic has increased over 7 fold in 5 years. From my own observations that 3 and a half times the number of people stay on the train as leave or join at Melksham, the implication is that there are some 95000 to 100000 journeys made per year


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