TransWilts Community Rail Partnership - public launch in Trowbridge, 26/3/2010

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

The TransWilts Community Rail Partnership will have a public launch on Friday 26 March 2010 at Bridge House, Trowbridge, at 19:30.

For further details, please see http://www.transwilts.org.uk/

[grahame]

Thanks, Chris.    There are now some further links on the TransWilts web site - please have a look at these, let me know of any misspoolings  and make a note in your diary - or add your name to register an interest if you can't come on the day.

http://www.transwilts.org.uk/whatis.html - What is a CRP^▸ (Community Rail Partnership) and why one for the TransWilts?
http://www.transwilts.org.uk/tobridge.html - How to get to Bridge House / connecting services etc
http://www.transwilts.org.uk/ne.html - register your interest if you can't make it (or if you can!)
http://www.transwilts.org.uk/crp.html - the "flyer" for the event which contains many detaisl.

This meeting will just be a stepping stone - we want YOU there if you have any interest ... to give your inputs as to how we step further ... and to provide onwards help in this exciting project.

[John R]

http://www.warminsterpeople.co.uk/news/Warminster-Town-Council-listen-plans-new-railway-group/article-1918665-detail/article.html

I'm sure Graham is too modest to post this himself. How did it go, Graham?

[grahame]

How did it go, Graham?

Very well, thank you, John.   The item on the agenda was for me to introduce the concept of the CRP^▸ (Community Rail Partnership) and what we're hoping to do, and have them take a vote whether its something they would be in favour of, and send a representative to next week's meeting.  I did my bit, they asked some excellent questions and voted unanimously in favour.  Couldn't have asked for more.

[grahame]

Message being sent out to signed-up supporters ... but please follow the links, come along, tell others ... whether or not you've signed up before!

TransWilts Railway line and services

Are you available next Friday evening (26th March)?

We are holding a launch meeting for the "TransWilts Community Rail Partnership" at Bridge House, Trowbridge, starting at 19:30. It's a public meeting - all are welcome and we would love to see YOU - as a supporter for our campaign last year - there. And please tell your friends and colleagues too.

Getting to Bridge House, Trowbridge for the meeting:
   http://www.transwilts.org.uk/tobridge.html

What is a Community Rail Partnership, and why for the TransWilts:
   http://www.transwilts.org.uk/whatis.html

Can't make the meeting, but interested?  Let us know via:
   http://www.transwilts.org.uk/ne.html
and perhaps you'll want to see more details at:
   http://www.transwilts.org.uk/crp.html

The TransWilts line links the major population centres of Wiltshire - from Swindon via Chippenham, Melksham, and  Trowbridge to Westbury, then on to Dilton Marsh, Warminster and Salisbury ... with important onwards travel requirements from Westbury to the "Heart of Wessex" line via Frome and Yeovil to Weymouth. 

Services are currently sparse - just 2 trains each way a day  on the Chippenham to Trowbridge section - but requests for an improved service are making ever-better cases, helped by the  rapid growth of the towns along the line, long journey times by road, and increasing travel flows between major centres in the new Wiltshire - Chippenham, Trowbridge, Salisbury, Melksham, Warminster and Westbury.  We have moved from a national view in 2004 that 2 trains a day was enough to a view from Network Rail (in an otherwise conservative survey of the region) that  an additional hourly service each way is cost-benefit justified.

In this new, positive environment a Community Rail Partnership will link YOU - members of the community (whether you're private individuals or speaking for an organisation) with the various elements of the rail industry and regulators / governors, with whom we are in touch.   This will let us promote the existing  service and stations, help to prepare the case for a more  appropriate service, and make sure that service is used to its very best when it is achieved.

Community Rail Partnerships WORK.  We will be working alongside the Heart of Wessex, who have been a big success on the Weymouth to Bristol line, with ACoRP^▸ (Association of Community Rail Partnerships), the umbrella body that provides for the exchange of knowledges and ideas between partnerships, Wiltshire Council, the Department for Transport, First Great Western, and many more groups who are already assisting us.

PLEASE come along if you can.  Very little is fixed yet - this is a launch meeting and everything from station adoption to publicity, from surveying requirements to integration with other transport will be on the agenda, as will our constitution.  More ideas are listed on the links (above) if you want to give  it some thought ahead of the meeting.

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I am sending you this email as you previously signed up to support our pledge for a better service on the TransWilts line. I don't write very often, but I will send you a further update after the meeting.  If you don't want this further update, please reply to this email to let me know.

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Graham Ellis and others on the "Save the Train" team.
c/o 404, The Spa, Melksham, Wilts, SN12 6QL
http://www.savethetrain.org.uk   http://www.transwilts.org.uk
+44 (0) 1225 708225 (phone)  - email - info@transwilts.org.uk

[Chris from Nailsea]

From ThisisWiltshire.co.uk:

Have your say on the trains' future in Wiltshire

People who care about the rail services in their towns are being invited to join a partnership which will launch next week.

The TransWilts Community Rail Partnership will meet at Bridge House in Trowbridge at 7.30pm on Friday, March 26 and is being spearheaded by Melksham businessman Graham Ellis.

The aim of the partnership is to rejuvenate the TransWilts line which runs from Swindon to Salisbury, its services and use, as well as working towards a more frequent link between stations along the line.

Currently there are only two trains a day either way which run through Trowbridge and Melksham to Westbury along the line, in the morning and again in the evening.

Mr Ellis said the community partnership will be about the public working with organisations to improve the line, make more people aware of it, look after the stations and ultimately aim for a more frequent link.

He said: ^We^ll be encouraging folks like Melksham Climate Friendly, CPRE^▸ (Campaign to Protect Rural England), chambers of commerce, schools and many more to join us. We will be talking with First Great Western and other groups including Network Rail and Wiltshire Council. We want to help get an hourly service, but in the meantime we want to get people on the existing trains and prepare the way for it. One of the options we will consider is having groups for individual stations, to concentrate on those stations and look after them. On the administration side of things we will be setting up sponsors and friends to get a degree of funding.^

Mr Ellis, who is president of Melksham Chamber of Commerce, said the public meeting next week is about seeking initial ideas and that he wants to listen as well as put forward suggestions. He said: ^The more people that know about the line the more that will use it, and this could lead to more carriages and in turn could lead to more services. The other interesting thing south of Westbury is that there are significant journey requirements from Frome and other stations onwards to Yeovil and even Weymouth up to Chippenham and Swindon. This line is already covered by the Heart of Wessex Partnership, with whom we already enjoy a very good relationship and with whom we^ll be working closely.

[Graz]

I'm happy to say that I will definitely be attending as I strongly support the partnership. It will be nice to see some people from here again too, to hopefully discuss ideas and thoughts about the TransWilts line.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Good to see that you will be there, too, Graz! 

[Graz]

Thanks Chris! Just noticed on my map I missed out the connection between Swindon and Newport/Cardiff - d'oh!
Is anyone arriving at Trowbridge a little early? As I work there I will be hanging around for over an hour waiting for the event to start.

[RichardB]

Good luck with the launch today, Graham.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Graz, my train gets in to Trowbridge at 18:45.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Rail campaign group bids to improve Wiltshire links

A meeting to discuss improving rail connections in Wiltshire is being held later by a public transport campaign group with businesses and politicians.
The group, the TransWilts Community Rail Partnership, wants a more frequent service on the line between Swindon and Salisbury.
They plan to meet with train companies First Great Western and Network Rail next week to put forward the proposals.
The public meeting is at Bridge House in Trowbridge at 1930 GMT.
Graham Ellis, from the TransWilts Community Rail Partnership, said: "We will be talking with First Great Western and other groups, including Network Rail and Wiltshire Council.
"We want to help get an hourly service but, in the meantime, we want to get people on the existing trains and prepare the way for it.
"One of the options we will consider is having groups for individual stations, to concentrate on those stations and look after them.
"On the administration side of things we will be setting up sponsors and friends to get a degree of funding."

 

[grahame]

Well ... I enjoyed that (enjoyment wasn't, however, the main purpose!) but am too tired to write a report tonight.  Good to see so many people there, including some familiar Coffee Shop faces.  Thank you ... see you on 17th April 

[grahame]

Initial report - I have blogged at

http://www.wellho.net/mouth/2696_Garlic-bread-without-garlic.html