Great Western Coffee Shop

Yesterday saw the launch of the "Connecting Wiltshire" web site - to help travellers to, from and within Wiltshire make the best of all their transport options, both current and forthcoming as the improvements under the Local Sustainable Transport Fund kick in.

Here's a link into the site

http://www.connectingwiltshire.co.uk/connecting-your-journeys/

And there's a link on the recently updated TransWilts Community Rail Partnership's site too

http://atrebatia.info

(See also briefing documents, constitution and much more there for an update that's more technical)

Grahame - I notice on the website talk of 100 commuters who currently dogleg via Bath Spa.  Will there be any loss of revenue to the franchise holder if this is no longer necessary, and if so, has this been taken into account? Also, given that number, and also the fact that the evening commuter departure from Swindon could be an attractive alternative as far as Chippenham given overcrowding on the HSTs, what thought has been given to the rolling stock to be deployed on the service. Hopefully not a 153, or even worse a pacer working up from Exeter in the morning?

But can I add my congratulations (even if I understand your current hesitance until every single i is dotted) at the success. I know you will modestly acknowledge the contribution of others, but I suspect had you not taken up the cause and rallied support from all around, it would not have happened. 

I suspect the extra service will be formed of a class 150 rather than a class 153 if FGW can help it.

Last thing FGW etc want is reports of terrible overcrowding etc, although it could work in their favour as they will be able to show the DFT etc that there is plenty of demand for the service and that it should be enhanced once additional rolling stock becomes available.

This new local service I think will be a big help for commuters traveling between Chippenham and Swindon.

I think you're right, Anthony.  In the days of the short-lived and very useful through Bristol - Oxford service there was always healthy traffic between Chippenham and Swindon on the trains I used.

The metrics of abstraction is an interesting one.   Certainly the significant flow from West Wilts to Chippenham and Swindon is well known - indeed you may have noticed over the years that connections at Bath have improved from random to much better, specifically to help. If you take these people off the train into Bath Spa, you allow traffic to grow further into Bath and Bristol too without needing extra carriages, so it's more of a shakeout / adjustment than a straight abstraction in a flat use service, and an overall increase in services out of West Wiltshire which is needed often when you real there's been 80% growth in 10 years.

If you look at  http://www.wellho.net/3641_.html you'll see the timings between Swindon and Trowbridge via various modes, and you'll note how attractive the train becomes compared to the car - that's the real competition and, assured of a lasting service (we are looking beyond 2017 already - talk last Saturday to 2025 and beyond) you'll also boost Melksham, Trowbridge and Westbury as commuting towns - something which the various core strategies are planning for and anticipating.

I don't know of any "via Melksham" fares, so I don't see any significant loss of revenue.  In fact it was only a couple of years back that we persuaded the fare setters to change certain "Via Bath" fares into "via Trowbridge". That got us away from the quirk of 56 pound single on the direct trains from Swindon to Salsibury, but less that half of that on the longer route and with a change of trains at Bath Spa.  On the other hand, certain fares have been held down as an inexpensive gesture of mollification for very limited services, and I'm on record as actually encouraging some of these to rise to be less extremely cheap.  That helps make the economies of the line work and will be a brick - just one brick - in the strongly built service that we're moving towards.

I hope that helps fill you in; I'm aware that I've not addressed some of the aspects raised, and some of those will have to be "wait and see".   I've just got home from Manchester - too late for the last train at the moment, and I'm on the first train out in the morning headed for Patchway.

Edit to correct typo

Thanks Grahame. I'll admit I was making an assumption that fares were more via Bath Spa - as they're not then the point about abstraction falls away.