Sadly no "listen back" ... but here are my notes wot I woz gonna say.
Notes for West Wilts Radio
Graham Ellis on the WWRUG» committee. 5 urban stations on the main line - WMN▸ , DMH▸ (Dilton Marsh and Westbury Leigh), WSB▸ , TRO▸ and BOA. You also have MKM▸ on the side shoot and the AVF village station. Also with narrower MTUG» (just the town) and wider TWSW» (South West)
Much has improved over 20 years, but some slips back. For B-o-A for example up to 3 trains an hour, but loss of many through services – all those from Brighton, from London, from Great Malvern, from West Wales and from Manchester. Passenger numbers have doubled, but train lengths have not kept pace and there are overcrowding issues, and as the trains get older they break down more often. Financial squeezing on track and train maintenance and numbers of staff mean that cancellations are far above what would be regarded as "reliable". But yet typically people get where they want, all be that on the next train. The exceptions are Melksham and Dilton Marsh, where the cancellation of one train when the next isn't due for several hours puts people off using the service at all.
But the train - and buses - are a good and much more sustainable way for the future and we look forward to HMG stated reliability aims and successes, with a not of caution that we don't want to see that done by thinning out trains as they have just done at DMH.
Fares, ticket offices, information systems, parking at stations, connecting buses, safety at stations - there is so much to consider and more and more it's the rail industry and the government that both specifies and monitors these, all micromanaged by the DfT» and at times passengers feel they are the pawns in a game. We were staggered at the Dilton Marsh cuts in December - although we liaise and are informed somewhat by GWR▸ , they had neglected to tell us about these and even their own timetable poster team put up a new poster advertising trains that no longer ran.
WWRUG committee meets every 2 months and the group 4 times a year - next on March 20th at the Bethesda Church Hall in Trowbridge (7 for 7:30) across from the station behind Trinity church. Newsletter 4 times a year - all eight items £8 or £10 for a family. We are, truly, independent of the DfT that funds virtually everything else directly or indirectly. We also have a WWRUG group on Facebook committee meets every 2 months and the group 4 times a year - next on March 20th at the Bethesda Church Hall in Trowbridge (7 for 7:30) across from the station behind Trinity church.
Looking ahead - increased capacity through Melksham, reliability, "simplification" of fares. Be careful those don't mean fewer trains and higher prices. This year, the regular "inflation plus" rises are not happening.
Encourage engagement and membership. Search and find us online. Personally retired and now travelling very widely - but still there, learning and advocating for the passenger and different future while taking a pragmatic view and accepting the need for change and for financial prudence. Look forward to coping with all new housing and a minimum 30 minute service with cancellations less than 2% and bus and train fare and network integrtaion.
Canon in D is a piece scored for three violins and bass by the German composer Johann Pachelbel (1653–1706). YouTuber Pavel Jirásek has reworked if for train horns and this version brings a big smile to my face as it recalls the sounds of the railway both locally and around Europe.
Elements of the above were skipped. And it became stronger in tone as we discussed who actually sets the service levels, on what criteria, and who and how a two hour peak gap can be put into an hourly service without notice. We discussed the need for freight, the prospects for Melksham, the crucial nature of reliability and how it's that much more important on an infrequent service than on a frequent one. And we discussed management motivation in the rail industry - private and public operations - at the current times of change and how "more reliability" can be achieved by withdrawing unreliable services, which looks good for statistics but leaves customers in the lurch.
