Great Western Coffee Shop

Community Rail in the City - a single day event at major London and other key locations - is replaced this year by "Summer days out are better by train" - a ten week campaign launching on 30th June.

I learned at the TransWilts Annual Meeting yesterday that our local CRP will be hosting / running an event on the disused platform at Chippenham on that day, with Friends groups from Chippenham and Swindon stations both joining them to help their / wider promotion.  Travel southwards via Melksham will be especially promoted, with active travel highlighted through such initiatives as their walking and cycling leaflets.

During various weeks of the campaign, different aspect will be promoted.  These include
18th July - Family Outings
8th August - Scenic Services

Really good to see / hear of - at long last - some rail promotion ...

Surely better to exhibit in town centres? Those at the station surelyvare already ‘converted’?

"Community Rail in The City" targeted the large number of commuters who didn't expand their daily commute into family trips out.  I did several that were great fun, and very useful for other reasons (such as meeting key industry and central government people) at Waterloo, and we did a great Coffee Shop one at Reading - very useful from a different direction in that we met quite a number of Coffee Shop members and guests, and introduced a few more to our place.   Towards the end of my time with TransWilts, we did a similar session at Swindon station - the daytime before GWR's reception / pre-conference dinner; much of the publicity there was in reaching and informing other community rail players, and regular commuters passing through Swindon.  Sad memories from me on that latter as I fell foul of the cutoff rules to attend the evening set by the TransWilts board and headed home after the stand, but the day itself (and, I understand, the evening celebration of TransWilts achievements) was a great success.

I don't know the logic of 30th June being at Chippenham Station, nor the selection criteria for station groups.  I would agree, ChrisB, that there is a very strong logic for the summer promotion campaigns to be in town and not at stations, based on current low footfalls there, and the metrics of those feet that are falling.  The Melksham Transport User Group officers met early this week, and we will be concentrating this summer on venues and opportunities away from the station, but that should not be regarded as an "either/or" choice.   If invited to Chippenham (and I am surprised that we have not yet been as the CRN group for Melksham Station) I would recommend acceptance and do BOTH at-station AND in-community.

From CRN - the launch will be postponed until "a more appropriate time when we can actively promote leisure travel by rail" if the opening up on 21st June does not happen.

SOME elements relaxed ... awaiting news to update this thread.

Speaking with a member of Melksham Morris Dancers last night, she is under the impression that their event at Chippenham Station is confirmed and not dependent on the complete opening up ... there may be other events too which are not easily postponed at this point.

Just received from the Community Rail Network ...

From the Community Rail Network ...


I have a lot more including an 8 week calendar of events

Week commencing 12th July - further updates ...