Swindon to Melksham - 25 miles via the A3102. Google estimates around 45 minutes, with 5 minutes to be saved if I were to go a longer but quicker way via the M4.

Swindon is one of the major employment and business hubs in our area - how good is it to get there by public transport from my home town which has a population of around 25,000 and growing?  How easy is it to find out your options?

Home to Swindon

Yesterday morning, I left home at 07:38, walked to the station and caught the 08:02 train which should have arrived in Swindon at 08:28.  50 minutes door to door (my destination was a long distance train). However, the train left Melksham on time but arrived in Swindon 26 mimutes late - long after my connection had gone.

Swindon to Home

Coming home, my return train arrived in Swindon at 16:02, at platform 1. Having been out walking for the day and unsure of my pace and what I would find, that was not a time I had predicted earliers in the day, so I arrived and then had the question "how do I get home"?

* The next train to Melksham was not until 17:35 - so that would have been 18:00 into Melksham, 18:22 at my front door. 140 minutes door to door.   From Platform 2, Westbury train

* There was a train at 16:26 as far as Chippenham which would have left a wait at Chippenham for the 17:35 bus (last bus of the day) - 18:02 into Melksham Market Place, 18:07 home. 125 minutes door to door. From Platform 4, Weston-super-mare train

* I walked up to the Fleming Way bus boulevard.  I had visited Stop "Y" first to look up Devizes bus times, and as I got to Stop "H" I saw the 55 to Chippenham pulling out (16:10) - probably a good job I missed it as it had a 3 minute connection in Chippenham into the last x34 of the day to Melksham.  125 minutes if lucky, 140 minutes if not (train from Chippenham).

* I visited Stop "E" where the 99 service by Coachstyle also runs to Chippenham, but there was no service until 17:05. Had I waited for that, I would have arrived at Chippenham at 18:36 ... after the last onward bus, after the direct train (option above) leaving me to fall back to the train at about 20:00 which - oops - was cancelled last night to it would have been a rail replacement taxi, estimated time 250 minutes from arriving in Swindon to being home.

* I took the service at 16:30 from Stop "Y" on route 49 to Devizes.  Around 15 minutes there to change to the 17:55 from the same stop (at The Pelican) onto the 273 Bath bus as far Spa Road (Cowslip Mews) from where there is a five minute walk home. Home at 18:15 - 133 minutes after my arrival into Swindon.

* Considered the direct National Express coach to Melksham but ruled it out as a ludicrous option as it doesn't leave until 21:25 on a Saturday - from Stop "N1" or "N2" on Fleming Way and would have been 350 minutes from my arrival in Swindon!

* I had also considered taking the 49, on which alternate buses extend to Trowbridge, and which stops at Semington 2 miles from my home.  On a nice summer's eveing with it still light (and had I not already been out walking) this would have been an attractive option

Lessons to be learned

1. The train service needs to be hourly

2. Buses on route x34 should run into the eveining

3. Should there be better maps / guidance for passengers arriving into Swindon for destinations such as Melksham and Cirencester (train to Kemble or bus all the way?) and Calne (train to Chippenham and bus, or bus all the way?) . There is no central enquiry point - not even a map showing all the direct routes ... let alone connections

4. Should there be a central smart display at the midpoint of the bus boulevard, perhaps dupicated at the railway station, allowing people to enter destination (town, attracttion, area, postcode) for a real time display of your immediate options and where they start from?

5. Should there be guidance on this lot with regard to fares and ticket interchangability for those of us on return fares?

Starting point


Arrival point in Swindon


Baffling choice of not-brilliant starting points for the return