5 Eel, Ling, Broadway. So that's not a clue for Mill Hill East, is it? 

I sat on the platform at Salisbury yesterday ... and watched the hourly pattern.

I arrived at around 15:42 - a signal stop out beyond Laverstock and a slow run in on the Exeter train.  The east facing bay platform had two trains in it - a 2 car on the blocks and a 3 car nuzzled up.

At about 15:55, the 3 car left (for London) followed a few minutes later by the 2 car (for Southampton and Romsey) and it seemed just a few minutes later another 2 car came in to take its place ... then another three car nuzzled up alongside.

Come 16:20 or so, the Exeter to London service paused in the station briefly, followed shortly by the Cariff to Portsmouth train.  And finally, my train to Westbury pulled in, departing at 16:40.  As we pulled out, I could see round the bend the next hour's Exeter train pulling in to start the cycle again.

2 x 2 car diesel units say in the line behind the wesbound bay throughout the hour, ans as we left I saw around a dozen more carriages in the depot.

D'you know - a couple of little throughts struck me.

Why not bring in the Exeter service ahead of the Cardiff, and let the Cardiff overtake it?  Platforms 2 and 3, and you have a connection

Why not bring in the London service ahead of the Portsmouth, and let the Portsmouth overtake it?  Platforms 2 and 3, and you have a connection

Why not let the the 2 car carry on to Westbury. The whole route from Portsmouth to Cardiff - EXCEPT the Salisbury - Westbury section - has two train an hour, and this would fill the gap.  And you would have an integrated service, hourly service at Westbury Leigh Halt (to and from Salisbury where the locals of there and the neighbouring community of Dilton Marsh.

Hey - by using one of those spare 2 car units and carrying on from Westbury to Swindon, you could even carry alternate trains on from Westbury to Swindon - and have an appropriate service on the TransWilts.

Won't happen, of course - that would require co-operation between Stagecoach and First, and I expect the Monopolies Commission might have a "North Devon" word or two to say about that.   Or is there some way ...

I'm dangerous when I get 59 minutes to think

Updated URL ... old one not working ... http://www.brokenmind.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/railtrack.pdf

Still a great read!

Melford House Hotel, Farnbourough {FNB} . http://www.melfordhouse.co.uk/   A very pleasant surprise indeed - I booked at the last minute during last week for one night, when it was becoming clear that five commutes was going to degrade the quality of my work by Friday.   A big house in a leafy suburb within walking distance of the station - a home from home and an aim of the best of a hotel and the best of a B&B.  Great for the solo traveller - and a bit of an oasis in what I've previously found to be a desert of welcoming accommodation in that immediate area.

But there's a huge difference between - say - Barry Links, 12 trains calling per week and 86 passengers in the year (0.13 passengers per train) and Melksham, 27 trains calling per week and 11046 passengers in the year (17 passengers per train). Even at 06:38 in the morning, you'll find the best part of 10 people getting onto the train, and even yesterday (Saturday) I was on the first train as it passed through / called at Melksham, a couple of folks got off and at least a dozen got on.

And I think that having the Barry Links and Golf Streets of this world still open, with a daily commuterish service to Dundee of the same poorish timing as the Melksham service provides a very valuable control / comparison / contrast through which to view the Melksham figures.  The hundred to one ratio of tickets on the same ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about) analysis technique is mighty significant!

"How did you get to the station?" - data from survey on a typical weekday, now a year or two old.  Unsure of sampling methodology - and data came with a valid caution (which I'll repeat) about not relying on low figures of under 100 in a sample, and being very careful indeed (to the extent of ignoring!) samples of under 50.



Many thanks to Passenger Focus for this data / these data sets which have been really useful in generating thoughts as to connection at stations. And the figures do not disagree with other evidence, which is always good news in firming up ideas.

I don't consider it a trial in any way - like I would not consider the CLPG^» (Cotswold Line Promotion Group - about) (Cotswold Line Promotion Group) trip to Swanage to be a trial service. It's much more a marketing exercise to help people be aware of the line. On past experience, trips out with a single specific service are so interesting  and such good value that far more people would turn up at the station than could fit in the train if we shout too loud, and to we're targetting to Melksham in particular (where this is a rare opportunity indeed) with some publicity for Chippenham.  For Swindon, alternative (change at Bath) options are regularly available, although with a slower journey and of course missing the beauty of the Avonside countryside via Lacock, Melksham and Holt.

Numbers on the day will depend on how accurately we judge the information volume sent out, and the weather.




Edit note: Minor typos and CLPG definition corrected. Chris from Nailsea.

My bolding.  I think the admin / moderator team will appreciate a short break, thank you. A noticable proportion of our workload of late has been looking after topics such as this one.  We look forward to seeing you posting in the future - but we do need to find solutions and move on now (and in the future) from topics which are causing issues.

Local publicity from Melksham.  You may also see this mentioned in Chippenham  .   With this being just a single day's opportunity, marketing will be muted to help ensure that demand does not outstrip supply.

Fancy a day at the seaside?

Bank Holiday Monday - 27th May - is a rare opportunity to travel by train from Melksham to Weymouth for the day - prices are 16 pounds for an adult, or just 36 pounds for a group of 4 adults and 4 children using a "Groupsave" ticket.

The train at 09:01 from Melksham Station, and arrives in Weymouth at 11:03. Return from Weymouth is at 17:30, back into Melksham at 19:46.

Passengers joining at Melksham can buy their tickets on the train.  A change of trains is necessary at Westbury.  Free car parking available at Melksham Station.

A big "Thank you" to First Great Western, who are making the trains as long as the platforms allow, and supporting the Melksham Railway Development Group and the TransWilts Community Rail Partnership in publicicising this opportunity. A representatives of both groups will be on the train.

< --------------------- >

Trains leave Melksham on Monday to Friday at 06:38 and 19:11 for Westbury, and 07:20 and 19:48 for Swindon.   Saturday trains are at 09:20 and 15:21 to Swindon, and at 15:48 and 21:34 to Westbury. And on Sundays, trains leave at 17:25 and 19:53 for Swindon, and at 18:45 for Westbury.  Services vary on Bank Holidays.

The TransWilts Community Rail Partnership encourages the use of the existing services by working together with the community, the rail industry and local businesses and government, and it works to promote an improvement in the service to a level appropriate for the journey requirements along the route. Such improvements will see Melksham served by a train every hour - alternately to Westbury and Swindon, giving hourly connections onwards to Bath, Bristol, and London.

The Melksham Railway Development Group promotes the use, marketing and improvement of facilities at services at Melksham in Wiltshire - a town of some 25,000 inhabitants, currently with very limited rail services and facilities.

Thanks , Jo.  Home at 22:35.

Due off Paddington at 20:00. Actually left 20:20
Pass Acton Main Line 20:41
Stop Ealing Broadway 20:51 - 20:56
Pass Slough 21:05
Stop Reading 21:22 - 21:24
Stop Didcot 21:41 to 21:42
Stop at Swindon 21:58 - 22:00
Arrive Chippenham 22:12

Had I been on the 17:45 off Paddington - the train which failed - I would have detrained from that at Ealing Broadway and joined the 20:00.

The 17:45 is the train that has a connection to Melksham and is due into Swindon at 18:38.  We got to Swindon at 21:58 ... but the train in the bay said "Cheltenham Spa" on the front of it!


Excellent job of keeping us informed by the train manager / rest of the onboard team who, however, couldn't get through the train.  "Reported Full and Standing" said the display at Chippenham station at 22:12 - that's very late for a train to be so busy.

This week ... I've travelled from Melksham to Farnborough (Hants) and back twice, and from Melksham to London (Paddington) and back twice.

Journeys to and from Farnborough have been on time or within a few minutesm, and no connections have been missed.  Not bad going for a journey that's involved up to three changes of train.  Score - four out of four.

Journeys to and from London have not been so good.  On the first journey, the first train was delayed by around 30 minutes due to the failure of another train, and this meant that a connection missed.   The second journey was good. On the third journey, the first train was again delayed - a problem with the train, and it was clear the connection would be missed (and the chap on the help point confirmed that), so I drove to a station with a more frequent service and caught a train from there - I simply can't afford to be unreliable on a daily basis for my customers.  I'm now on the fourth journey; I'm on the 20:00 from Paddington to Chippenham.  It's 20:30 and we've not yet got as far as Old Oak Common. Our Conductor tells us this is due to a failed train, there is heavy congestion, and he doesn't know when we'll get to Bristol.  Score - one out of four.

I've not looked at the train's Gloucester to Swindon timings and loadings ... but the Swindon to Westbury section was moved by a few minutes about 4 years ago to allow for the London connection, and the train now sits for about 5 minutes at Westbury, whereas it used to wait (I think) at Swindon.   There's a complex matrix here, and much of the traffic on the TransWilts section is to Trowbridge for the (poor) Bath and Bristol connection and to Westbury for the (tight) London one. There is also traffic joining at Trowbridge for Salisbury which might be reluctant to accept a further extended wait at Westbury.   Interestingly, lots join at Warminster and the whole train virtually empties at Salisbury.  Earlier into Salisbury would (I suspect) be a step in he wrong direction for people there if (for example) they are connecting into the Waterloo.

Have to agree with John R. ... it's really not about tweaking the existing services, but about providing an appropriate service.  Making the current services more appropriate by moving them by a few minutes is worthy of consideration, and a useful part of the whole picture

In the strange world of railways, an rise in fare linked to the annual inflation rate (and actually in excess of that rate) isn't actually the annual rise.  You'll be telling me that it's often cheaper to buy a ticket from A to B and once from B to C than a ticket from A to C next ... or that a train like the 19:30 from Paddington is called "super off peak" because not many people use it

I think a number of people may have assumed that because the RPI is an annual inflation figure, we were talking about an annual fare rise.  To talk about RPI as a basis for a rise and then put in more than one in a year is - err - disingeneous 

I was on that train too.   Had a chat with the conductor who made the announcement, who confirmed that splits between a season and an individual (non season) ARE valid on the service.   They're caught between a rock and a hard place, really ... so complex a system that whatever is announced has "yes, but .."s associated with it.

I notes in coach "B" 36 passengers for - what - 76 seats.  And as it's nonstop through Reading, it's got a gap behind it from there.   Perhaps it should stop at a selected Thames Valley station if there's still overcrowding there, Jo ...