Great Western Coffee Shop

Here's a background piece on the "Save the Train" Campaign - as prepared for a presentation I'm doing in the next few days.  Services across Wiltshire - a congested road corridor and a rapidly growing train service - were smashed back last December under the new service level committment implemented by First Great Western at the behest of the DfT - based on outdated statistics with proven-incorrect-already pessimistic growth forecasts.

Save the Train

* Origins

Founded - August 2005. A Web site, as a result of seeing a letter in the local paper which said "do you realise you have missed the consultation for 2007 train services".

We didn't realise. There were no signs at the station or on the trains. No press notices. And later on we discovered under Freedom of Information that the consultation on what services the new franchise should be provided had actually been run after the specification had been sent out, and that civil servants had discussed how to minimise the effects of the consultation. So I don't feel too guilty that we didn't realise.

* Objectives

1. To bring the case for an appropriate train service connection the five major population centres of Wiltshire to the serious attention of those able to specify, finance and provide such a service.

2. To have the case seriously and fully evaluated in order to establish what an appropriate service actually comprises.

3. To work for the provision of such an appropriate service (includes service level, timing, pricing, reliability,booking arrangements, publicity, comfort)

4. To work for the retention of that service once achieved, and of any lesser service prior to that point both as at least some service to the curent customers, and as a stepping stone to the future.

* Organisation

"Save the Train" is largely internet / web based in its activities - the medium is an effective one, and many of the major protagonists are heavy users of that technology. But we are working closely with other groups towards common goals - in the local area there's the Melksham Railway Development Group and The West Wilts Rail Users Group. Further afield you have organisations such as Travel Watch South West (formerly SWPTUF) , the Campaign for Better Transport (formerly Transport 2000), Campaign against New Beeching Report, and RailFuture.

We have a loose committee, liaise through email, with occasional committee or public meetings. We're not hesitant about calling and publicising meetings, but have tried to resist the regular meeting trap. Activities are all low budget, so contributed by members. For example, I don't notice the 2 pounds a year that it costs to register our internet domain, which is hosted on a server that has spare capacity anyway. Members give their time freely; any time available is appreciated.

* Outcomes

First objective (known). When we came to the case, the TransWilts service was two sentences in the middle of 100 page SRA report covering Paddington to Pembroke Dock to Penzance. Now it (and the town of Melksham, served only by the line) are much better known.

Second Objective (looked at). From an initial reaction which verged on the "don't be silly and ask for more that 2 trains a day" we moved forward to a very serious proposal for 5 a day from this December - DfT, County Council and First all on board, as confirmed by FOI. And the County Council has concluded that an appropriate level of service would be hourly each way.

Third Objective (implemented). No. Not acheived. The detailed proposals that we were almost-promised ("just needs to be signed off by Network Rail") at a public meeting in May disappeared from the draft timetable from this coming December; reasons not totally clear to me.

Fourth Objective (retention and lesser goals). We strongly suspect that in August 2006 when the service was withdrawn for 10 days that it would have returned as a bus ... as per current precedents in Staffordshire and Watford. However, publicity and activities including a gathering of VIPs on the station before six in the morning resulted in the appearance of a smarter-than-normal service.

A new southbound service, operated on a commercial basis by First Great Western, starts early on a Sunday evening in December. It's just one train a week, but it's at a time that it plugs a real hole and it's significant in demonstrating goodwill and being commercial.

Train cancellations remain a serious issue (to the extent that First have installed a special bus stop labelled "Rail Replacement services" at Trowbridge station), but we're no longer in the same class as the 07:10 Bristol to Paddington which is cancelled on around 25% of the time.

Early Morning buses from Melksham, and evening buses back, now make calls at the railway station in Chippenham. After an unbelievably hard struggle, the bus stop at the station now carries the times of those buses. They are clearly used, judging by the complaints from Chippenham taxi drivers that fares to Melksham have dried up .

For full presentation, see http://www.savethetrain.org.uk/national/ (http://www.savethetrain.org.uk/national/)

See also http://www.savethetrain.org.uk for the main "Save the Train" web site

Here is an introduction for newcomers to the campaign for an appropriate service on the Swindon to Westbury / Salisbury via Melksham line - produced in the last few days, it sets the scene for newcomers and provides updates for people who have already heard of the campaign.  Certain elements have been x'ed out and struck through as the full details are not definite / in the public forum as I write.

Background

The train service from Swindon and Chippenham to Melksham, Trowbridge, and Westbury comprises just two trains a day, and the times that they run (06:18 and 18:45 off Swindon) are more selected for the operating conveninence of First Great Western who run them, rather than to meet the requirements of passengers on the service. As a result of these poor timings, the service is lightly loaded. It wasn't always like that - when First took over the franchise on 1st April 2006, they interited a service of five trains a day each way, running at broadly sensible times and growing (compound) between 10% and 35% per annum depending on measures used, carrying some 120000 passengers a year.

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/decsattrain.jpg)
The service is well used when it runs at appropriate times

The "Save the Train" campaign was formed during the longwinded process of respecifiying the service prior to and under the new franchise, when the proposed cuts had belatedly become known to the people who used the service, and to people in Melksham form whom it is the only train service. 

Objectives

a) To raise awareness of the situation with users, potential users, and others who might be part of the process for specifiying and providing the service

b) To ensure that the future of services on the line were reviewd with a view to evaluating what an appropriate service level would be, and to having that evaluationg agreed on by parties concerned

c) To implement any changes necessary to provide and retain that appropriate service.

Current Status

a) Awareness has been raised. "Save the Train" - and many other groups too - continue publicity

b) There is concensus within the key player organisations that a service that's either 2-hourly or hourly would be appropriate for the traffic / travel requirements of the corridor (the variation based on time of day, and how far you look ahead as the line links urban areas set to grow hugely in the next 18 years)

As an interim step, extra trains from Salisbury, via Westbury and the rest of the route to Swindon at 07:30 and every 3 hours, returning at 09:00 and every 3 hours from Swindon, in addition to the existing trains would provide an excellent first step at relatively low cost.

c) Work is ongoing with regard to implementing the changes from December 2008. A great deal of effort has already gone in behind the scenes. Technically, it can be done for the most part (final issue of xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx to be resolved - but possible solution in pipeline).

Financially, the system that allocates ticket revenues to train operating companies on shared routes (which ours is NOT) is working against us as First make more money xxxxxxxxxxxxx than they would running it well loaded and providing a real SERVICE TransWilts.

Looking Forward

Work is ongoing behind the scenes on planning for the service from next December if the financial and xxxxxxxxxx can be solved.

Further publicity is needed through the spring and early summer to ensure that the case remains in focus, with some political pressure being put on the various parties involved.

Summary

From a cause that was described by some as a "no-hoper" when Save the Train started over 2 years ago, we have moved forward to a case where we have a realistinc chance of gaining and retaining an appropriate TransWilts train service - and such a service gets more sorely needed year by year.  The "Express" bus from the county town of Trowbrdge to Swinodn takes 95 minutes, the train 35. Chippenham to Salisbury takes over 2 hours by bus, but less than an hour by train. And Melksham, with no trains at all between 7:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. at present is a nightmare to access by public transport along crowded corridors such as the A350 which are set to get yet busier through the town as populations grow by up to 50%.

So the service will not only be a good one for the Train Operating Company to run - we know they'll have busy trains on the line once again - but it will also be excellent news for the local traveller, commuters from West Wilts to Swindon, and the economy of the area.

(http://www.wellho.net/pix/game_01.jpg)
The County's Local Transport Plan and West Wilts District's core development strategy both see the TransWilts as a key route - this map, showing it in bright green alongside other public transport (one dot per 3 minute of journey) shows what an important backbone the line should be


Some web sites assocoiated with the campaign and associated lines

http://www.savethetrain.org.uk
http://www.mrdg.org.uk
http://www.wwrug.org.uk

Above prepared by Graham Ellis - graham@wellho.net
404, The Spa, Melksham, SN12 6QL. 01225 708225

Personal comment - I wouldn't be pushing this campaign if I didn't find that almost everyone I speak to is in full support of the objectives; it's startling to talk with people in Melksham at events such as the "Party in the Park", or at the West Wilts show in Trowbridge, and to realise just how much of a "no brainer" it should be. I find myself acting more as a co-ordinator than a campaigner!