I suspect user groups will slowly align to the new Transport Authority holders boundaries eventually - as that is where we will need to campaign to - Unitary Mayoral Authorities generally, eventually

 

It's a "reference" post - designed at the top of the thread to inform without going on and on ... but allowing addition and explanations

Wiltshire used to have four district councils - North Wiltshire, West Wiltshire, Kennet and Salsibury, and you can add Swindon which was formerly a part of Wiltshire and still is for things like postal addresses and police.  The West Wiltshire Rail User Group was formed to align with the West Wiltshire District Council boundaries.

Although the District Council has long gone, the user group remains covering the same geographic area. WWRUG have reviewed the area covered, and stuck with it.  It makes sense in that we cover a section of the Cardiff -> Portsmouth main line and service that branch off from it / connect with it.  We are happy to welcome members from Frome, from Freshford, and also from Chippenham and Bath in relation to journeys to and from West Wiltshire.

So there you are - 5 towns, 7 open stations, and all trains from those stations converging on Westbury as a common factor.

Should a new station be built for Devizes Gateway, it would be just in the constituency of Brian Mathew, whereas the old Patney and Chriton station site is in the constituency of Danny Kruger.

 
Thanks for your interesting, and thought-provoking, post here, grahame. 

I note that you have excluded here the constituency of Swindon South in that area.  The sitting Member of Parliament there is Heidi Alexander MP, who just happens to be the Secretary of State for Transport.

Posting this here as someone from outside the area (most of the time) for two reasons: firstly, to demonstrate that I have read grahame's post, and secondly to allow him to expand this topic as to why "West Wiltshire' stops at Chippenham.

CfN. 

 
With the move of train operation from train operating companies to HM Government, shareholder interest lessens amd political interest increases.  And that means that inputs via our elected representatives are likely to be all the more important in the future; I'm looking to our MPs at present, but also to our Unitary Council which is the "LTA" - Local Transport Authority - and potentially to new regional mayors.

The West Wiltshire Rail Users Group covers an area split between two constituncies - Melksham and Devizes represented by Brian Mathew, and South West Wilthshire represented by Andrew Murrison

I am posting this under "new and campaigns" because at the current time, with loads of changes happening and with risks and opportunities abounding, the group is far more than just a train information club.



Melksham and Devizes:



South West Wiltshire: