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Title: 5th Birthday, the TransWilts train Post by: grahame on November 23, 2018, 08:56:28 Saturday, 8th December 2018 will be the fifth birthday of the improved service on the TransWilts line from Westbury to Swindon via Trowbridge, Melksham and Chippenham. For the previous decade, the line had been served only by early morning and evening pairs of trains that were of little practical use; in Winter, Melksham station had no trains at all during daylight hours.
Starting on 8th December 2013, a single extra one carriage train started a three year trial shuttling up and down between Westbury and Swindon, not only providing new round trip opportunities in itself, but also adding in sensible return options which made the morning and evening train pairs useful too. Doubters thought that the goals set for the trial were impractically high. In practise the third year targets were reached in the first year, and come the end of the third year the service was confirmed as permanent. And that was fantastic news, because people could at last plan their lives and careers around a daily commute. To some extent, the service has been a victim of its own success. Figures due out in December (for year to March) will, I predict, show little change on last year - but that can largely be explained by the peak trains being so full that there wasn't room for any more passengers to be carried. Eventually (9 months late) the train has been extended - as has the short platform at Melksham, and growth is under way again. Walking through the 2 or 3 carriage train in recent weeks, I note quite a number of empty seats. But counting passengers and comparing my total against what a single carriage train could carry, I'm seeing numbers rising strongly again - the growth and the TransWilts story is set to carry on for the next ten years. If ever there had been a case of a line / service / station crying out for improvement, this was one. Five years ago it moved from a useless service to a poor but usable one (it really needs to be hourly) and with reliability, fares, capacity, and a modicum of telling people about it, it could hardly fail. The community has been very supportive and there are a number of individuals who have been singled out and shortlisted (or better) for national rail awards - Lee and Bob who are here, Paul and Peter too. Without them, each in their own ways, the line wouldn't be where it is today. My thanks to all of them - all very much around as we look forward, I'm delighted to say - as we look forward to the next 5 years. Edit - correcting typos & splitting long sentence Title: Re: 5th Birthday, the TransWilts train Post by: grahame on December 01, 2018, 05:24:41 Press note (with pictures) from the Melksham Rail User Group to the Melksham News
Quote Saturday 8th December 2018 is the fifth anniversary of Melksham's improved train service. Over the five years passenger journey numbers have risen from around 3,000 to 75,000 per annum. This year we have seem the extension of the platform at Melksham from 1 to 3 carriages in length, and the introduction of longer trains. 18 train services call at the station each weekday, 16 on Saturday and 13 on Sunday, alternating destinations of Swindon via Chippenham and Westbury via Trowbridge. A big "Thank you" to Great Western, Wiltshire Council, the TransWilts Community Rail Partnership (chair, Paul Johnson) for all their hard work. The Melksham Rail User Group ( chair Peter Blackburn, Secretary John Hamley) meets on 23rd January 2019, 19:30, Melksham Town Hall, all welcome. But please use the train long before then! Pictured 1. Crowds gather to greet the first new train, December 2013 2. One of the new trains when they started in December 2013 3. Scene today (30 November 2018) from the same spot. (http://www.wellho.net/pix/min_201812_0.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/min_201812_2.jpg) (http://www.wellho.net/pix/min_201812_1.jpg) Title: Re: 5th Birthday, the TransWilts train Post by: rogerw on December 01, 2018, 09:46:43 I recall travelling on that first train along with a number of other august coffee shop members
Title: Re: 5th Birthday, the TransWilts train Post by: grahame on December 06, 2018, 16:29:31 From the local press (Melksham Independent News (http://melkshamnews.com))
(http://www.wellho.net/pix/min_mkm_5.jpg) Title: Re: 5th Birthday, the TransWilts train Post by: Dispatch Box on December 07, 2018, 12:26:36 Mine is the next day, I don't want it though?.
Title: Re: 5th Birthday, the TransWilts train Post by: Phil on December 07, 2018, 17:39:55 I'm intrigued to know where the word "celebrated" came from in that article.
None of the press releases appear to use it, however it's been slipped into the published article and appears to suggest that something will actually be happening on Saturday - which is misleading at best. As far as I know there's nothing happening on the day, although if there's the sniff of a photo opportunity I daresay our alleged MP Michelle Donellan might show up.... Title: Re: 5th Birthday, the TransWilts train Post by: grahame on December 07, 2018, 20:05:42 I'm intrigued to know where the word "celebrated" came from in that article. None of the press releases appear to use it, however it's been slipped into the published article and appears to suggest that something will actually be happening on Saturday - which is misleading at best. As far as I know there's nothing happening on the day, although if there's the sniff of a photo opportunity I daresay our alleged MP Michelle Donellan might show up.... Hmmm ... we have a lot to celebrate with the rail service in this town, even if we do so quietly in our own individual ways some times. I may very well take a personal trip down to the station for the 09:48 to Swindon to see it call and hopefully pick up a few people for the day out - people who didn't have the option over five years ago. Soft launches and celebratory events that are offset from the actually anniversary are not uncommon - they're almost fashion. I would not be at all surprised were such to be planned in a month or so, but that is not in the article. Title: Re: 5th Birthday, the TransWilts train Post by: rogerw on December 08, 2018, 15:20:59 Do I need to bring a belated birthday card with me tomorrow? ;D
Title: Re: 5th Birthday, the TransWilts train Post by: grahame on December 08, 2018, 17:24:07 Hmmm ... we have a lot to celebrate with the rail service in this town, even if we do so quietly in our own individual ways some times. I may very well take a personal trip down to the station for the 09:48 to Swindon to see it call and hopefully pick up a few people for the day out - people who didn't have the option over five years ago. From Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=292694788041975&id=284487172196070) Quote Five years ago today - 8th December 2013 - the train service at Melksham was stepped up to a useable level. First picture - one of the new trains soon after they started. Second picture - 8th December 2018 - at about the same time of day. 31 people got onto the train - not a special celebration but all day, every day. Truely, the train has made a big difference. Speaking with one of the passengers, she was asking about more trains ... disappointed at the current sparse service of one every 2 hours; she was shocked to learn that five years ago it was just two trains a day. We have moved from an unusable service to one that still need stepping up - from 8 or 9 trains, to 13, to 16 per day each way. But please use it in the meantime too. A Melksham train leaflet is available at the TIC, the Town Hall, and the Library. Also to download at http://www.mrug.org.uk/Winterbrochure.pdf (http://www.wellho.net/pix/05yeartrain.jpg) +31 -5 .... 36 users for journeys to / from Melksham on that one train. On a bleak Saturday. No big sports crowds - just a normal day. This page is printed from the "Coffee Shop" forum at http://gwr.passenger.chat which is provided by a customer of Great Western Railway. Views expressed are those of the individual posters concerned. Visit www.gwr.com for the official Great Western Railway website. Please contact the administrators of this site if you feel that content provided contravenes our posting rules ( see http://railcustomer.info/1761 ). The forum is hosted by Well House Consultants - http://www.wellho.net |