Great Western Coffee Shop

From Chippenham People (http://www.chippenhampeople.co.uk/Summer-Train-Services-Weymouth-London-Chippenham/story-12790520-detail/story.html):


To correct one point in the article. the 0820 from Swindon IS in booking engines.

And a very welcome news item on FGW's site appeared today on the subject, including a quote from a certain Graham Ellis.  Here's hoping the trial is a success, and well done to Graham for helping publicise the event.   

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/NewsItem.aspx?id=701

Excellent to see FGW publicising the extra trains on their website.

Well done to them!   :)

Really looking forward to getting my new bucket and spade Sunday.  :)

Hanky washed and knotted.  8)

this service was not showing on the platform screens today  at Chippenham, but over 20 people got one this service.

Unfortunately there were also reportedly 15 people waiting to get on at Melksham yesterday (10/7). The Tourist Information Centre in Melksham fielded several complaints today (Monday) from disgruntled potential passengers, some of whom caught a train to Westbury and continued with their buckets and spades from there, some who returned home in high dudgeon.

From what I could make out, the TIC weren't particularly helpful either - I'd rather not name names, but the lady who spoke to me about it, who works there, said in response to my explanation that there was never intended to be a service this week due to engineering works, "Oh, well we spent ages going through the Melksham News as I was sure I'd seen something in there as well, but we couldn't find anything"

(I suspect they should have referred to the previous week's issue rather than the latest, which is full of Carnival news...)

One sometimes despairs of the good people of Melksham, who obviously don't read what information they are given and therefore should have known that there was no service this week - but to be fair, a poster about the service at Melksham station might have helped, and having been there and looked around there actually isn't anything on display at all.

Despite not having been to any meetings due to numerous other commitments at the moment (not least Melksham Food Festival and Party in the Park) I am actually an officer of the committee, so I was wondering - might it be helpful if I put together a timetable and pinned it up down at the station somewhere?

I also heard from another source today that Trowbridge Tourist Information Centre have run out of leaflets about the service, so if someone else could take care of that perhaps while I fill the gap at Melksham?

E-mail has been sent to FGW, which you have been copied into.

All the publicity and every press release has been VERY careful to state "3rd July, then every Sunday from 17th July to 28th August".  And also web sites, leaflets, posters, etc.   We can't speak for what the press leave out, but so far I've seen NOTHING that implied a 10th July service.   

And we don't have a god-given right to an article in every edition of the local paper .... it's quite flattering that people feel the service is so important that we should have ;-)

Posters ... they are up at some stations - looks like a glitch that we're sorting - exactly the sort of thing which the dress rehearsal on 3rd July threw up and should be corrected by the next run, on 17th.

Brochure - http://atrebatia.info/brochures/tff.pdf

Two sided, all set up to print.   I'm physically away and unable to print out any ... if someone could do a few that would be great and I can do more on my return.   I HAVE emailed the .pdf to the people who are short of it, but it's unfair to expect they have facilities to print it out ...

New posters for Melksham and Trowbridge being sent out by FGW today. This will hopefully lead to the issue being resolved. 

Further update from FGW - Posters will be on display at Melksham and Trowbridge stations by the end of the week.

A batch of TWCRP Summer Sunday Service Brochures will be dropped in to Trowbridge TIC over the weekend, or on Monday at the latest. My thanks go to thetrout for helping to sort this out  :)

Just to update everyone; I will be dropping a 50 printed copies of the leaflet Lee has referenced, in to Trowbridge Tourist Information Centre this evening.

They should be available for anyone who wants a copy; for collection from Tuesday (19/07/2011) onwards.

Sorry for the delay my end... Slight "operational issues" with the printer... :-X

*edit* - Tidied up the wording as it looked like I was saying only 1 copy would be available!

Many thanks  :)

Sunday 17th July report, with photos, can be found here. (http://www.wellho.net/mouth/3362_Swindon-Chippenham-and-Melksham-to-Weymouth-Sunday-Train-Service-Starts.html)

shame the weather wasnt better but it is nice to see the service is being used and does shown FGW that people are prepared to use it.

 I will have to arrange one sunday to travel on the service.

And a spot of doglegging (http://www.wellho.net/mouth/3364_Dogs-Legs-on-the-Dogleg.html) as well  ;D

Come along this Sunday (http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=9183.0). You'll find one or two forum moderators/admins, plus possibly a few forum members, on the service down to Weymouth. That's if you can find a way to get to Chippenham/Swindon that early on a Sunday morning....


Oh, and nice to see a prominent poster just inside the main entrance to Chippenham station advertising the 'Weymouth Sunday Specials'. Well done to FGW and TWR for that.

more than likely if i do it will be on the return working as i wont be able to get down towards westbury was til at least miday

Use it or lose it!

Yes - but remember that the history of the line is use it AND loose it ... service improvements in 2001, but a specification for the new franchise made with a 0.8% growth assumption that was exceeded many many many times.   Result - December 2006, withdrawl of trains that were well used and getting busier month on month too.

So - please - use the new service especially as it's termed a "trial" in some quarters ... AND make a strong case for a service which meets the evaluated business and operational case of TransWilts Rail from 2013.   That's a service level of 11 trains each way per day.

Just three more Sundays to go

... from Westbury at 07:30, Trowbridge at 07:35, Melksham at 07:45 and Chippenham at 07:55 to Swindon for London
... from Swindon at 08:20, Chippenham at 08:35, Melksham at 08:45 and Trowbridge at 08:55 through to Weymouth

Return from London at 17:00 to change into 18:19 Swindon to Westbury
Return from Weymouth at 17:56 - through carriages until 28th August to Swindon