Great Western Coffee Shop

"Small Line, Big Reach" says our TransWilts publicity campaign, and indeed out 2017 passenger survey confirmed that as well as journeys within Wiltshire and the South West, we have significant numbers of passengers to
- London and the South East
- the Southampton Area
- South Wales
- the West Midlands
- the North East and North West of England

Journeys to and through Birmingham involve Cross Country services, at last one change even to reach Birmingham, and a very indirect route making for a slow journey, which is also relatively expensive.  And yet people still make that journey in noticeable numbers.   These journeys are ripe for improvement - and if they were improved and promoted, significant extra traffic would be generated.

The Melksham Rail User Group's position is set out ((here))  (http://atrebatia.info/mrug_xc_draft.pdf) as the basis for inputs to the Cross Country consultation with regard the next franchise.  Although we're a small line not served directly by the franchise, we're far from the only line in that position - and it's been stated that one in two cross country journeys involve a change to or from another operator. So the whole "network" thing is acknowledged.   Please read the position - comments welcome

I wonder if the government has a political decision to make on this one - whether to mandate extra capacity that is so obviously needed, and then to promote public transport for these routes, with their sustainable, cleaner greet credentials - or whether to suppress demand by leaving trains overcrowded and fares at an off-putting level.