Great Western Coffee Shop

My Facebook memories from seven years ago (https://www.facebook.com/graham.ellis.5055/posts/pfbid02LdKY1HULkvCS1FKKEUTQkPdM6JQbFdsT57qSrhKQZ6MLJuoW3gcnwxsnZt4HG39pl)


I wrote on my timeline this morning:

My memories this morning are of great time up to 2018 for the Swindon - Westbury line during which massive gains were made.  Since then it has been much more consolidation but we have gained longer trains to cope (and a longer platform at Melksham) and services filling gaps so that - in the last year they have been scheduled all day, every day.  But they still need support and help.

In my (informed) view, services need to step up to hourly - from the current thin service to an appropriate one, and some reliability issues (strikes fixed, for example) need dealing with, and station access (connecting buses to Melksham's residential areas and footpaths to the station - Foundry Close and the subway) need dealing with.  A human touch in a volunteer run cafe open at train times would be a wonder too.  A great deal of groudwork HAS been done during the consolidation - much out of the public eye - and now is the time to to look forward to the next sevens years and another doubling of use; it's not for the statistics - it's for the real people, every one of them, for who this makes a difference!

On 22nd May (2024) at 19:30 (arrival early for tea and networking), the new chair of TransWilts, Paddy Bradley, will address the West Wiltshire Rail User Group (WWRUG) and talk about his vision.  Venue - Bethesda Church Hall, about 100 yards from Trowbridge Station, and the meeting is timed so you can return home to Melksham, Chippenham of Swindon on the 21:22 train which started running last year to meet community requests; the "late turn" is doing well too. West Wiltshire Rail User Group is independent of any governmental or industry support - funded by our members and we ask guests for a £2 donation at meetings.

March 2024 - Swindon to Westbury 18,212 journeys, up 12.3% on March 2023 but still 17.9% below pre-covid levels.

There were a number of days plagued by cancellations due to staff, weather and a fatality this March; not had a chance to look at last year to see how much disruption there was then.