There are five Community Rail Partnerships active in Wiltshire. I am posting this to help clarify changes which perhaps haven't come to everyone's attention while we have been "locked up". I have added in other user groups, etc, for a complete picture.
From
GWR▸ - Community Rail 2020/21 bookletEarly last year the decision was made to wind up the Heart of Wessex CRP▸ . All stakeholders agreed it was logical for Severnside CRP and TransWilts CRP to be responsible for all the lines within their respective areas, including the relevant sections of the Heart of Wessex Line.
Key Services supported:
Bristol to Westbury - Severnside CRP
Swindon to Westbury - TransWilts CRP
Salisbury to Romsey - Three Rivers CRP
Salisbury to Exeter - Blackmore Vale CRP
Westbury to Weymouth - South Wessex CRP
Stations lead CRPs:
Avoncliff and Bradford-on-Avon - Severnside CRP
Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge and Westbury - TransWilts CRP
(Note - station friends group at Chippenham and MTUG» at Melksham)Salisbury and Dean - Three Rivers CRP
Tisbury - Blackmore Vale CRP
Stations not covered by the key services supported by CRPs:
Dilton Marsh and Warminster (but see/ask West Wilts Rail User Group)
(WWRUG» also covers Avoncliff, Bradford-on-Avon, Melksham, Trowbridge and Westbury)Pewsey (but see/ask Pewsey Vale Rail User Group)
Bedwyn (but see/ask Bedwyn Trains)
There is talk of CRP extension:
- TransWilts to pick up Dilton Marsh and Warminster
- A new "Berks and Hants" CRP which would include Bedwyh and Pewsey
Railfuture (Severnside Branch) covers all Wiltshire Stations except
Railfuture (Wessex Branch) covers Salisbury, Tisbury and Dean
Station volunteer arrangements have changed. The Heart of Wessex CRP is no more; it had a strong team of volunteers who used to help at various stations - not necessarily the station nearst to where they lived. Long-standing arrangements under which volunteers could travel to stations on their line at no charge when helping are no longer in place as they were, and as I understand it, it is now up to individual CRPs whether (or not) to re-imburse volunteers. Net effect is to persuade some volunteers to help purely at their local station, if at all. Big "thank you" to those who have travelled into Wiltshire, Somerset and Dorset to help in the past.
