I have to agree there, Phil ... their advise would have sent me on a 90 minute journey when a 30 minute journey was possible, and it would have been worse to have said "Change at Didcot" or something like that. 

It's been quite a long day, and I'm trying to recall if I asked "how do I get to Melksham" or "do I change at Chippenham or Trowbridge to get to Melksham at this time of day?" ... if I asked the latter (which is likely as I'm a helpful sort unless really p**sed off) then I'm sticking by my original hypothesis that they couldn't really have been more wrong.

But I'm lucky ... I have the ability to read a timetable, and copies of Central 1 and Central 3 with me at all times when travelling by train so it was easy possible for me to check as I wasn't sure of what they had said.

Today, 7th June.   Windy, wet Saturday morning with grey skies. Weather forecast has suggested it would be even worse.
09:48 from Melksham +3 -0 -> 19  19/3
11:48 from Melksham -6 +9 -> 17 23/15

By the way - I had a 10:45 appointment in Bath.   Took 09:48 train and a good connection (about 15 seconds!) at Chippenham into a late-running HST^▸ (High Speed Train). Into Bath at 10:14.  Left again at 11:07 as appointment turned out to be very quick and hear the station, back to Melksham by 11:48.

Only "issue" ... on getting to Bath Spa at 11:00 for my return journey, checked A to Z and found plenty of white space but no section for Melksham  ... asked staff who advise 11:13 and change at Chippenham - had I not checked my timetable when I got on the platform, I would have taken an hour longer than needed.   
* Best answer would be ... no need to ask staff in the first place
* Second best would be staff giving the right answer
* Third best is staff admitting they don't know
* Least best (i.e. worst) is staff giving the wrong answer

Commentary thread at http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=14096.0

(Established Members who are not in the TransWilts supporter's area are welcome to p.m. me to request membership - just bear in mind you might see an awful lot of Wiltshire materials there  )

James Llewellyn, Atkins Global

James has been contracted to gather TWSW^» (TravelWatch SouthWest - website) inputs and write them up with a recommendation to the TWSW directors / board.   Here are some of the slides he used;   followed by quite a long discussion.

Mike Hewsitson, Passenger Focus

Matthew Golton, Director leading the bid team.   Simon Maple, Network Rail

Slide set from Martin Holt who is leading the consultation / bid / contract work for the GW^▸ (Great Western) franchise.

TravelWatch SouthWest held a special extra meeting to hear about the consultation, to inform those present, to allow questions and answers, and to work towards a combined TWSW^» (TravelWatch SouthWest - website) response and towards ensuring that there is a degree of co-ordination across the south west, and that the questions answered are relevant / the ones asked.

I photographed key slides and I'm going to post them in separate threads to allow racing / discussion; links to full slide sets may be available later.   I have my own notes take during the day too and I'll probably leave those in the TransWilts member area where I'm usually forgone for hideous spelling errors.

Indeed .. this is the train I hanked for being 15 minutes later, but I'm now slightly less sure of that hankering.  Perhaps it's because it's a Friday?  Summer?  ... that it got so busy today?  I do suspect that the return journey (17:36 off Swindon) may have been a bit slacker than usual (POETS^▸ (As in "Poets day". Friday. (Push Off Early - Tomorrow's Saturday).) day) judging by the lack of cars parked at Melksham when I got there, but having been out since 06:30 and in adrenaline-coarsing presentations and discussions, I was too tired to hang around.

Indeed ... and from today, a couple of extremes:
06:38 from Melksham -0 +2 -> 9 ... 9/2  
16:15 from Westbury ... 46 on from Trowbridge, at Melksham -11 +4 ... 50/15  

Chance to ride the TransWilts ... "History of the Wilts Somerset and Weymouth" ... Railway Quiz ... walk in the Carnival processions and see the town.   Great day out in Wiltshire!

* Read all about it at http://atrebatia.info/twcrp_carnival.pdf

* Email me or message me to sign up

Tuesday 3rd June.
07:20 at Melksham +13 -1 -> 54 .. 55/14
07:48 from Melksham observed at Chippenham was -25 + 10 -> about 40 thereafter (%)

Wednesday 4th June.
11:47 from Westbury with 11 on. -2 + 13 at Trowbridge. -3 +5 at Melksham .. 27/8

Thursday 5th June.
06:38 at Melksham -1 +4 -> about 15 (%)

(%) - Observed through windows / approx count only.

The slides of my little presentation, together with my crib notes, are online:

http://atrebatia.info/devon_crp.pdf

As a further follow up on my answer, bignosemac, I don't think that the success of one measure in getting a noticeable decrease in vandalism issues is a reason for stopping other measures ... the figures on the slides show impressive reductions over the period, but they don't show, by any means, an elimination of the problem.  In fact, the success of a scheme shows via a significant collerelation to a reduction in unwanted activity should be all the more encouraging to other schemes on the basis that somethings CAN be done that work.

They are very specific measures for a number of Severn Beach line stations across the duration of the "Engaging with Schools and Art" projects, as run by and presented by Heather Cullimore of the Severnside Partnership;  I'm afraid that I was distracted during that talk by its proximity to something I was doing at the conference, so I'm not crystal clear on the methodology.