Great Western Coffee Shop

It has been announced that the train services run by SWR from Bristol Temple Meads to London (Waterloo) are to be withdrawn in December in spite of them being very well used, and without like-for-like replacement.  This will have a major effect on many journeys and it does not look like a sensible or positive change. Furthermore, it was not well announced or consulted, leading to an impression of there being something sneaky about what's being done.

Rail User Groups and interested parties from across the area are coming together on 20th October 2021 for a public meeting (all welcome) near to TROWBRIDGE Station - meeting start time at 7 p.m. to allow you to come (or go) on the trains that are not in the timetable after 11th December.

Leaflet / flyer (please print and distribute if you wish) is at http://www.passenger.chat/bri-wat_20211020.pdf

Edit to add Zoom code - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87440868321?pwd=bDcyd3R3Q0E0elVySlNreHBvcm1jQT09

An introduction to the issue is on the Two Tunnels site - forum redirect from http://www.passenger.chat/waterloo
More detailed technical stuff at http://www.passenger.chat/25503
Forum discussion at http://www.passenger.chat/25368

In alphabetic order (in the immediate area), this meeting is supported by
- Friends of Suburban Bristol Railways
- Great Western Coffee Shop Forum
- Railfuture (Severnside)
- TravelWatch SouthWest
- Two Tunnels
- West Wilts Rail User Group

Stations affected
- Bristol Temple Meads, Bath Spa - loss of through serviced to stations Andover to London (Waterloo)
- Keynsham, Oldfield Park, Bradford-on-Avon, Trowbridge - loss of through services to / from London
- Westbury - loss of the majority of through London (Waterloo) services
- Warminster - loss of the majority of through London services
- Andover, Basingstoke and Woking - loss of through trains to West Wilts, Bath and Bristol
- London (Waterloo) and Clapham Junction - loss of through trains to West Wilts, Bath and Bristol
- ALSO reductions to service from Bristol to Salisbury which often overcrowds even with the SWR trains running

Trowbridge also loses most of its through services to London and all of those at a sensible time. Only through service is at "stupid" o'clock in the morning. There is no return service.

My error leaving that out - I have edited the above post

Seems appalling when Trowbridge is the Wiltshire county town. I would have thought the council would be shouting loudly?

I have edited the top post in this thread to add the Zoom code:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87440868321?pwd=bDcyd3R3Q0E0elVySlNreHBvcm1jQT09

Representatives of the Department for Transport and South Western Railway will be present and speaking.


Their response to the 2022 consultation, which included the announcement (not consultation) of the December 2021 cuts, was strongly worded. Cllr Dr Mark McClelland, Cabinet Member - Transport, Waste, Street Scene & Flooding, wrote:


and within the five page response:


and

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/p2000.jpg)

Actually, Government is responding at 2,000 (in less than a week) - sending someone to our 20th October meeting. The $64,000 question is whether that response will be explanation, excuse, or something much more encouraging.

The former is expectation, plus a tad of the middle. But at least they are attending, and will likely listen.

Lamb to the slaughter? :P

Now - what or who be the lamb??

1. The through train services from Waterloo to Trowbridge, Bradford-on-Avon, Oldfield Park and Keynsham, which are supposed to cease from 12th December?

2. The campaigners who are going to be told "what for" and will have spent a lot of time, but still lose the service?

It can't be ...

3. SWR and the DfT - can't be them, because no slaughter is sought. We are looking for positive outcomes with a sensible, affordable, useful, appropriate continuing service and the intent of the meeting is to help everyone ease the wheels that way.

Meeting codes via http://waterloo.savethetrain.org.uk/meeting.html

I am delighted to have the six groups who are supporting the campaign to retain the Bristol to Waterloo via Salisbury services running after 10th December, and who are on the "letterhead" for tomorrow night's meeting.  Someone from most of them will speak - briefly as the main purpose of the evening is to inform, make the case, and listen to the Department for Transport and South Western Railway, listen to the public, and move on to "where do we go from here" rather than let the campaign blow its anger out and have the cuts happen anyway.

* Richard Cowell, Chair, West Wilts Rail User Group to welcome everyone
* Mark Annand, Two Tunnels, on the background to the service
* Wendy Thorne, Director at Railfuture on future passenger metrics
* Graham Ellis, Webmaster at Coffee Shop forum on the threat to the service and options available
* Andrew Ardley of and for South Western Trains
* Martin Pierce of and for the Department for Transport
* Chris Irwin, Chair of TravelWatch SouthWest, chairing public discussion and drawing our path forward

Chris has a really challenging task to take us forward from what Andrew and Martin tell us - not able to be scripted as we see what mix of excuses, explanations, and encouraging news we hear from our guests.

Thank you too, in advance, to Roger Witt who will be taking notes online, Nigel Bray in the room, and to Bryony Chetwode who will be co-hosting remotely on Zoom.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87440868321?pwd=bDcyd3R3Q0E0elVySlNreHBvcm1jQT09