Go-Op Cooperative - proposals for additional rail services (merged posts)

[whole diary]

[Lee]

From the Melksham News

Story posted on May 12, 2021

Rail travel in Melksham could get a boost from a train operator proposing a significant addition to the rail timetable from summer 2022.

The proposal from GO-OP^▸ (Original Poster / topic starter) – an independent co-operative society – to provide passenger routes between Bishops Lydeard in Somerset (a station on the independent West Somerset Rail- way, not currently served by the main or connecting lines) and Swindon, could “significantly” increase the volume of services at Melksham by a third.

The service will provide an additional six departures a day from Melksham – an additional three services to Chippenham and Swindon; and three direct services connecting the town to Westbury, Frome, Castle Cary and Taunton.

And the service will open up more interchange possibilities, making trips to Salisbury, Southampton and Yeovil more viable.

((continues))

I'm surprised you weren't asked to comment, grahame.

I have to say I remain concerned at how the proposed Go-op service is being reported as if it is likely to go ahead, when even a cursory glance beneath the surface reveals multiple hurdles to be overcome.

[paul7575]

We need journalists prepared to actually challenge these proposals, rather than just republish fantasy PR^▸ (Public Relations) verbatim.

Paul

[eightonedee]

I did a double take when I saw this  -!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57169730

[Lee]

I did a double take when I saw this  -!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57169730

I guess this means that the Big Battery will have to be "consciously uncoupled" at the end of each operating day.

[RichardB]

I did a double take when I saw this  -!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57169730

I wonder if Gwyneth Paltrow is interested in running a train service between Bishop's Lydeard and Oxford.  Could have some unusual stuff on the trolley if so.  I think it would be very newsworthy.

[grahame]

A brief update (really no news) on this from the public question and answer section at the TransWilts CIC^▸ (Community Interest Company ) annual meeting on Thursday - an answer from a senior GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) manager was that "We [GWR] know as much as you [TransWilts member audience do". "Until platform 4 is reinstated at Westbury and there's substantial double tracking of the single line section, we don't believe there's room for a second operator". For TransWilts, a director commented that the draft Go-op timetable does provide two useful journeys each way per day, with the others within 30 minutes of an existing service, and they would much rather have any extra capacity used to point towards Salisbury and Southampton as in the TransWilts Strategic plan.

[grahame]

From https://www.facebook.com/gooptrain/ - a public post

Not an update - but something that may be interesting to visitors to this group.  In mid-July, it's the GO-OP^▸ (Original Poster / topic starter) AGM^▸ (Annual General Meeting).  This will be open to all members, and at the AGM we can expect to be updated on all recent developments as the project continues to make progress - I`ll post more information here about the AGM shortly.  For anybody who is not a member, but who may be interested in attending, a small payment for the minimum quantity of GO-OP`s convertible, interest-bearing shares will guarantee access to the AGM.  Please note that as a co-operative, GO-OP shares cannot be traded.

Here is the relevant page from the website that provides links to the 2 categories of membership. 

http://www.go-op.coop/join/

[grahame]

For anybody who is not a member, but who may be interested in attending, a small payment for the minimum quantity of GO-OP^▸ (Original Poster / topic starter)`s convertible, interest-bearing shares will guarantee access to the AGM^▸ (Annual General Meeting). 

Great shame to apply that condition.   

For community groups and their teams who are looking to work with all parties providing public transport in their area, holding a pecuniary interest in any company which might be competing for paths / advantage / contracts it leads to a potential conflict of interest.   

It also gives me a similar personal decision to make as a Town Councillor in Melksham - if I were to show my support by buying a few shares, I would gain an interest which would mean that I could not take part in discussions nor votes asking for the support at the council, for which Go-op with surely (as a community co-operative) be seeking at some point.

It strikes me that the absence of guests at their meeting was potentially a difficult decision for Go-op - but that they may not have made the right decision by turning off people and community representatives who would love to use their services, in addition to others running on the line, should their service come about and call at Melksham.

[rogerw]

For those of you that like a fairy tale read at bedtime, there is an article on Go-Op in the latest edition of "Rail" (on sale tomorrow)

[grahame]

News from a Taunton councillor at the Railfuture meeting today at Yatton is that Go-op plan to start the Bishops Lydeard to Swindon service in May or December 2022, using class 150 trains retired by Transport for Wales as their new class 19x come into service.

[rogerw]

As the cl769 do not seem to be appearing in the forseeable future perhaps GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) could grap those cl150s to ease the capacity problems in the WoE

[Lee]

News from a Taunton councillor at the Railfuture meeting today at Yatton is that Go-op plan to start the Bishops Lydeard to Swindon service in May or December 2022, using class 150 trains retired by Transport for Wales as their new class 19x come into service.

Indeed - I had the pleasure of witnessing the joint Go-op/TfL^» (Transport for London - about) photoshoot earlier this week celebrating upcoming rail expansion:

[broadgage]

News from a Taunton councillor at the Railfuture meeting today at Yatton is that Go-op plan to start the Bishops Lydeard to Swindon service in May or December 2022, using class 150 trains retired by Transport for Wales as their new class 19x come into service.

Excellent news if it is actually achieved, however Go-op do not have a great record of actually achieving their hopes.

And in the specific case of Bishops Lydeard (or elsewhere on the WSR) To any place on the national network, how many schemes have been talked about, and how many trains have run ?

[ellendune]

News from a Taunton councillor at the Railfuture meeting today at Yatton is that Go-op plan to start the Bishops Lydeard to Swindon service in May or December 2022, using class 150 trains retired by Transport for Wales as their new class 19x come into service.

Excellent news if it is actually achieved, however Go-op do not have a great record of actually achieving their hopes.

And in the specific case of Bishops Lydeard (or elsewhere on the WSR) To any place on the national network, how many schemes have been talked about, and how many trains have run ?

Yes how about delivering a service from WSR to Taunton for a start and then see where else it might go.

[broadgage]

Or even from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead !