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grahame
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« on: October 05, 2014, 13:32:55 » |
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We're coming towards the end of the first year of the trial improved train service between Swindon and Westbury via Chippenham, Melksham and Trowbridge. And we're looking forward to the future - to what happens beyond those three years. Decisions as to what happens will be evidence based - and that means that we need to know about our passengers. On Saturday 11th October, Sunday 12th October, Monday 13th October and Tuesday 14th October, we will be surveying every single passenger train on the line. Not only counting the number of passengers, but also asking why they're travelling, whether they're connecting with other trains, and more. With strohg evidence we can make the most appropriate case for the future. THIS MESSAGE IS LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS to help with the survey. We need people who are "rail savvy"; it will take multiple people per train (getting hard to even count with the numbers we're getting now!) and each group will be lead by someone with experience at these things. Everyone will be safety briefed (form filling - lovely!). And you costs will be covered. We may have a room or two available overnight in Melksham too. At this stage - please EMAIL me ( graham@wellho.net) if you would like to help, and let me know which day(s) or parts of days. I expect we'll know many / most of the volunteers, but we do also have room for newcomers who will be very welcome. "We" ... for the purpose of this survey / message ... is the TransWilts Community Rail Partnership. Ticketing provided by First Great Western, Survey questions, printing and analysis largely by Wiltshire Council, feet on the ground and further analysis of other figures (where data protection allows) by our community. |
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« Last Edit: October 06, 2014, 02:46:48 by grahame »
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Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
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JayMac
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« Reply #1 on: October 05, 2014, 13:52:45 » |
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grahame,
As discussed yesterday, I'm more than happy to assist on Monday 13th and also Tuesday 14th if required. I can be available from the second service of each day, starting at either Westbury or Swindon.
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"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."
- Sir Terry Pratchett.
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grahame
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« Reply #2 on: October 07, 2014, 11:33:09 » |
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grahame,
As discussed yesterday, I'm more than happy to assist on Monday 13th and also Tuesday 14th if required. I can be available from the second service of each day, starting at either Westbury or Swindon.
Looking good and gathering volunteers / helpers together - will have a draft schedule for people out tomorrow. Here (for interest) is my cast around of the net looking for further volunteers from my mailing lists (others here welcome to jump in). Looking good ... but with 60 services (it would have been just 15 for a 4 day period last year) and several thousand journeys versus a few hundred, we've got to "upscale" a bit. Additional trains from Swindon to Westbury via Chippenham, Melksham and Trowbridge have been running for 9 months, with passenger numbers growing and some of the trains getting quite crowded. To help us (that^s the community, Wiltshire Council and First Great Western) understand how they^re being used, so that we can best know how they can be taken forward, we^re doing a major counting and survey over this coming weekend and early next week. We^ll be asking all passenger groups on every train from Saturday through to Monday to complete survey forms for us [draft at end of message]. And we^ll be counting the numbers of passengers joining / leaving/ travelling on each leg of the journey from Saturday right through Tuesday to build our evidence base (midweek may be different to endofweek)
1. Please can you help us? We are looking for / I am organising volunteers. And I need lots! There will be around 60 services to cover, and at least 2 people needed on each because it^s getting that busy. Those of you experienced in this sort of thing may be asked to take the lead ^ those who are new to it will be briefed at the start and have someone to ask for help (and to chat with in quieter times ;-). PLEASE REPLY TO THIS EMAIL if you can help - we really need to schedule in half day blocks; let me know day(s) and morning / afternoon / evening. Tickets and all the stuff you need will be provided - coming together this week
Saturday 11th October
Sunday 12th October
Monday 13th October
Tuesday 14th October
[snip]
The TransWilts trains are very very much busier this year than even the ^peak only^ service was last year - there are six or seven times the number of passengers averaged across the whole service. THANK YOU for your support and help so far. The data gathering and planning that we^re doing in the next couple of weeks is vital to ensure that the right local inputs are made to future planning and franchising processes so that we carry on with the most appropriate service possible through 2015, and beyond to 2020.
Any questions - please call / email
Graham
P.S. Please feel free to copy this email on to others who may wish to help / come along ;-) |
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Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
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TeaStew
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« Reply #3 on: October 07, 2014, 19:36:41 » |
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Unfortunately a bit late for me to rearrange work and weekend plans  would have loved to lend a hand. Look forward to answering the survey on Monday and Tuesday at least - is there a secret Coffee Shop handshake? Best wishes to all involved! |
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grahame
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« Reply #4 on: October 09, 2014, 19:51:57 » |
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I have emailed out rotas to everyone who's volunteered, trying to give you each worthwhile but not overlong sessions, without undue gaps, and spread the unsavoury hour services. People start and end at the same point, except those from Bath and west thereof who *may* end up doing a triangle.
Any errors / problems - pleas let me know. I will have Transwilts authority to trace letters for you at the start and instructions by the end of tomorrow. If coming further, buy a ticket and I'll reimburse from CRP▸ funds - remember a ticket to Melksham is valid from Bath and beyond via Chippenham or via Trowbridge.
Survey forms fine tuned, train log forms drafted as is other paperwork. Gonna be a busy few days!
and THANK YOU all who have given me availability and are giving serious time. Makes a huge difference.
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Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
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JayMac
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« Reply #5 on: October 09, 2014, 20:26:54 » |
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Fine by me. If I read the table right in the email, my first outing is with you grahame on the 1615 from Westbury on Monday.
Hard to read the table in my email client as I need to scroll left to right, could you PM me the services I'll be working.
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"Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."
- Sir Terry Pratchett.
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Network SouthEast
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« Reply #6 on: October 09, 2014, 20:31:18 » |
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Hope it goes well for you all. I'll be keeping an eye open for you.  |
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Chris from Nailsea
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« Reply #7 on: October 11, 2014, 00:42:54 » |
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Please do give us a wave, if you happen to spot one of us, Network SouthEast.  |
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William Huskisson MP▸ was the first person to be killed by a train while crossing the tracks, in 1830. Many more have died in the same way since then. Don't take a chance: stop, look, listen.
"Level crossings are safe, unless they are used in an unsafe manner." Discuss.
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grahame
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« Reply #8 on: October 11, 2014, 07:28:09 » |
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First two teams on their way with paperwork ... paperwork for third team starting at 15:06 awaiting collection
Reminder / thank you sent out to people who take over later today
Most supplies for tomorrow / monday here at base ...
I can now sit back and relax until I'm on the 18:47 from Westbury and 21:14 from Westbury ... just a course to give this morning and a greyhound walk I'm organising this afternoon. On call via 01225 708225 (normal number) or 0797 4 925 928 while moving around
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Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
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grahame
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« Reply #9 on: October 13, 2014, 12:42:29 » |
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From new edition of RailExpress - RailFuture's monthly newsletter Additional trains from Swindon to Westbury via Chippenham, Melksham and Trowbridge have been running for 9 months, with passenger numbers growing and some of the trains getting quite
crowded. The enhanced service was introduced for a 3-year trial period with a Local Sustainable Transport Fund subsidy. To help the train operator and Wiltshire Council understand how it^s being used, the TWR partnership organised passenger counts on all trains over the 4-day period of 11-14 October. Volunteers involved in the count will be handing out travel questionnaires and most passengers are able to fill these in before they get off the train. TWR has organised passenger surveys before, so the exercise is running like clockwork.
A free Rail Link bus has been introduced to connect with weekday morning and evening trains at Melksham and patronage is slowly growing. There^s also a team of volunteers that keep the station at Melksham looking tidy and tend to the flower tubs. |
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Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
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grahame
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« Reply #10 on: October 15, 2014, 14:51:20 » |
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Survey completed ... now for entry and analysis. Following note is for file Commentary - 10th to 14th October - TransWilts survey
A rainy autumn weekend, with the Swindon Town home match postponed well before anyone travelled. On Saturday, a person hit by train near Cam and Dursley resulted in some diversions of traffic in the area. On Sunday, lines between Didcot and Swindon were closed, and lines between Warminster and Salisbury were closed until late afternoon. On Monday and Tuesday, the line from Castle Cary to Taunton was closed for planned engineering works, and West of England expresses ran via Swindon. This resulted in a loss of traffic via Westbury to Taunton and beyond, and some schedules being varied by a few minutes to allow for extra trains at the Swindon end.
On Sunday night / monday morning, a track failure resulted in the line through Melksham being closed and neither the 06:12 from Swindon nor the 07:04 from Westbury called there - routed instead via Bathampton with an extra reversal. Pilotman working was in force all day from Thingley to Bradford, resulting in delays to service all day Monday.
On Tuesday, the 18:52 from Swindon was cancelled due to a train fault.
Scheduled - 59 trains. Ran calling at book stations - 56. 94.9% operated.
(2 ouf of 8 key commuter runs lost - 25% lost / 75% operated) |
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Coffee Shop Admin, Acting Chair of Melksham Rail User Group, Option 24/7 Melksham Rep
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