Informing the community - TransWilts CRP

[whole diary]

[grahame]

With now-likely additional services on the TransWilts line from December, we're moving the Community Rail Partnership into a more active informing and supporting role to tell our various communities about the opportunities that are about to be unleashed.   Printing out old v new timetables (as I've been doing) starts to bring home the enormity of the trains that we're looking to fill!

Wiltshire is arranged into a series of "Area Boards" - councillors for particular towns who meet every couple of months, get community updates, approve local grants, etc ... and we (TransWilts CRP^▸ (Community Rail Partnership)) have just written around to them to solicit invites to their next meetings for a brief update.  It's up to them, of course, whether they respond with an invite, decline to invite us, or simply don't get back to us but for those who are receptive it's a great opportunity for us to fill them in and ask questions.

We're also looking to work with station groups along the way.   In Swindon, Chippenham, Trowbridge and Westbury, TransWilts trains will for a minority of the services and we're hopeful that other or wide station groups will come forward to work with us, or we can form something that's rather wider than purely a "TransWilts interest" one.   I'm aware of cyclist by train groups, groups particularly concerned with wheelchair access to difficult platforms, etc ... we're happy for them to expand, or to work with us in ensuring that TransWilts works.  In the case of Melksham, we're already working closely with the Melksham Railway Development Group - and that's stepped up to the role for that station.

IF YOU REPRESENT A GROUP AT ANY OF THE STATIONS - please let me know (email - graham@wellho.net; personal message or reply here).   By the end of this month (September) and yu can help us set up the meeting too ;-) ....

It is probable that train services on the TransWilts line (Swindon to Westbury) will be improved from December, as part of Wiltshire Council's "Improving Wiltshire's Rail Offering" works.  These improvements will bring substantial benefits to the residents and businesses served, for example:

* Wiltshire Residents will be able to visit the Swindon and Wilshire History Centre, the Olympiad, Wiltshire College and other CHIPPENHAM facilities from the west and the south of the county by public transport without having to dog-leg via Bath or spend a great deal of time on buses.

* Visitors to MELKSHAM businesses will have a choice of train connections from London during the day, rather than a single daytime train at 17:45.

* There will now be 15 rather than 7 trains per day from TROWBRIDGE to London that complete the journey in under 2 hours

* And commuters from WESTBURY to Swindon will save 30 minutes of travelling time each day.

"The TransWilts Community Rail Partnership is a group of like-minded organisations seeking to improve the TransWilts railway line which connects Swindon to Salisbury via Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge, Westbury, Dilton Marsh, Warminster and Salisbury through co-ordinated activity with the railway, local communities and government bodies." (that's from our constitution!) and we would like the opportunity to update your area board some time this Autumn on the changes that are taking place, what it means for the area, and how local feedback can be channelled to make the very best of opportunities offered.

We understand the following are set for area board meetings:
   9.10.2013 or 11.12.2013 Melksham Area Board
   17.10.2013   Westbury Area Board
   4.11.2013   Chippenham Area Board
   14.11.2013   Trowbridge Area Board
Would you like one of us to come along, give a short presentation, answer questions, distribute marketing information / timetables etc?

As a further part of our program to promote and retain the service, we're working with existing station friends groups to help improve the customer experience, and to provide feedback both ways between the railway industry, local government, passengers and the wider community.  And where a friends group doesn't exist in that role, we'll be happy to form such a group as part of the partnership.   Provisional dates for initial meetings are:
   
25.10.2013   19:30   Melksham Railway Development Group  (that's an existing group)
6.11.2013   19:00   Swindon Station Group
7.11.2013   19:00   Trowbridge Station Group
12.11.2013      19:00   Chippenham Station Group
15.11.2013   19:00   Westbury Station Group

IF you know of any existing groups, please pass this on and / or put them in touch - we would much rather have them expand to help us with the new services than set up something else - if they can arrange and host one of the meetings listed here, perhaps on a different date (those are not cast in stone) so much the better - but we do need to be in touch by the end of SEPTEMBER to ensure there's time to sort out venues, invites and publicity.

Finally, on Saturday 19th October we are hosting a "TransWilts Link" meeting for all travel and transport and interest groups across Wilthshire, and those who use travel and transport services in the county (so that brings in the likes of Frome too).  This is a meeting we hold every six months - it allows groups to exchange experiences, to hear (and learn) from industry leaders and technocrats, and it helps us all co-ordinate suggestions and acitivities so that we're co-ordinated rather than pulling against each other.  Please feel free to pass on our details as hosts of that meeting (10 a.m., Westbury).

Update - Station groups / some date changes

[grahame]

And a first draft of electronic information to do that informing ...

http://atrebatia.info/aboutcrp.pdf

[anthony215]

Excellent leaflet. Hopefully closer to the time, proper timetables will be available, perhaps a leaflet showing the timetable just for the Transwilts line might be a good idea with times in brackets showing connecting destinations such as London Paddington.

[paul7575]

Can I suggest 'Through tickets available to any UK^▸ (United Kingdom) station' alongside the line diagram?

Paul

[paul7575]

Excellent leaflet. Hopefully closer to the time, proper timetables will be available, perhaps a leaflet showing the timetable just for the Transwilts line might be a good idea with times in brackets showing connecting destinations such as London Paddington.

There's just been a whole thread about that very issue, that you mustn't have noticed:  http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=12909.0

Paul

[grahame]

Can I suggest 'Through tickets available to any UK^▸ (United Kingdom) station' alongside the line diagram?

Paul

Changing "Other" into "to any".  Good call - if we're certain of "any"??  

I have found one exception - MKM^» (Melksham (Station code) - next trains) to NVM, but then NVM is a special case we can safely ignore. I can buy a Melksham to Norton Bridge!

More complete timetables, Anthony215?   Absolutely, but at this stage / with this leaflet the objective is to have something to inform the people who will be primarily informers - to market the concept.   On one hand there's a need to help people plan ahead (look at the criticism that First Bus have been getting for short notice), but that's got to be balance against publicising specifics in leaflets to be distributed far and wide so early that people go off the boil, and before we're even certain - look at the "non-news" on the franchise as a whole.

[grahame]

Excellent leaflet. Hopefully closer to the time, proper timetables will be available, perhaps a leaflet showing the timetable just for the Transwilts line might be a good idea with times in brackets showing connecting destinations such as London Paddington.

There's just been a whole thread about that very issue, that you mustn't have noticed:  http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=12909.0

Paul

And I've been having another play today ...

[John R]

I think that\s looking a lot clearer.  One tiny suggestion - intuitively I think the Temple Meads and Airport rows ought to be swapped, because you get to change at TM^‡(resolve) on the way to the airport.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Good point, John R. 

[anthony215]

Excellent leaflet. Hopefully closer to the time, proper timetables will be available, perhaps a leaflet showing the timetable just for the Transwilts line might be a good idea with times in brackets showing connecting destinations such as London Paddington.

There's just been a whole thread about that very issue, that you mustn't have noticed:  http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=12909.0

Paul

I read that thread I should have said in my previous post perhaps the timetable as part of a larger leaflet which also lists some attractions along the route. a bit like the leaflets which you can pick up for the heart of wales line.

Perhaps as well these leaflets can be giving to anyone currently using the existing service and anyone visiting the area and staying at hotels for example

[grahame]

I think that\s looking a lot clearer.  One tiny suggestion - intuitively I think the Temple Meads and Airport rows ought to be swapped, because you get to change at TM^‡(resolve) on the way to the airport.

Good point, John R. 

In what I did so far, I relied on the very happy co-incidence that the order for the closer connectional places was almost alphabetic ... it is probably sensible to provide some sort of geographic rather than alphabetic ordering.   Once you get beyond "Cheltenham" in the alphabet, the need to con sider order becomes clearer - I'm attaching inbound and outbound sections to show what I mean ...

[John R]

A couple more points (if I may):-

Some of the routings look a bit odd. For example Weymouth seems to show options to join the TW from both ends.  I'm guessing that the version via Swindon involves going via Basingstoke and Reading, which would probably cost a lot more than the obvious direct route (and thus cause significant passenger dissatisfaction.)  Also, suggest departures involving an overnighter are removed, (if left in you need to allow for Mondays being different.)

I guess this shows that a lot more thought than most people might imagine needs to go into something as relatively simple* as how the timetable is presented.

* compared with the process of actually developing a timetable that has sensible paths, connections and staff to run it.

[grahame]

A couple more points (if I may):-

I am delighted for you to do so 

Some of the routings look a bit odd. For example Weymouth seems to show options to join the TW from both ends.  I'm guessing that the version via Swindon involves going via Basingstoke and Reading, which would probably cost a lot more than the obvious direct route (and thus cause significant passenger dissatisfaction.)  Also, suggest departures involving an overnighter are removed, (if left in you need to allow for Mondays being different.)

The times shown are all from the journey planner, and I'll probably filter out journeys that take (say) more than 2 hours / 30% longer than the fastest journey on a route; that will eliminate all overnight journeys.  May also switch to grey rather than black for slower (and probably more expensive) journeys; more research needed!

I guess this shows that a lot more thought than most people might imagine needs to go into something as relatively simple* as how the timetable is presented.

* compared with the process of actually developing a timetable that has sensible paths, connections and staff to run it.

I have a lot of time for the professionals who do this - they have many years of valuable experience they can apply, and hearts in the right place.   My experimentation / works is really (a) to understand for myself what the new services will bring, and (b) provide local marketing information - specifically to cover an unusual set of circumstances of a station on a chord linking three main lines, with both its own internal traffic and connections that can go either way, and with a potential user community who are at present not heavy train users.  Anything that comes from this will be supportive of the professional timetables, for which the best format has already been briefly discussed, and no more.

I've taken a look at other community sheets - such as the Bradford-on-Avon one, and also been looking at mechanisms elsewhere; there certainly is a need, with the changing service, to provide rather more user-friendly information that the Cardiff - Portsmouth sheet, removing much of what it has on it that obscures the view of the TransWilts service, yet at the same time adding data on journey opportunities which it does not carry such as Temple Meads to Melksham, with a clear indication as to whether it's "Change at Trowbridge" or "Change at Chippenham".  There are going to be 15 journeys a day possible on that route, but Joe Public will need to be clear and certain which train to get on at Bristol if he's going to make use of them!

[grahame]

Can I suggest 'Through tickets available to any UK^▸ (United Kingdom) station' alongside the line diagram?

Paul

Changing "Other" into "to any".  Good call - if we're certain of "any"??  

Change made, and a couple or other small adjustments notified / suggested by email too - revision at

http://atrebatia.info/aboutcrp.pdf

[grahame]

With the green button pressed by Wiltshire Cabinet on Tuesday ... we're full steam (or is that diesel?) ahead with the CRP^▸ (Community Rail Partnership) station groups.   We need YOUR help.

More information at:

http://melksh.am/4198

Melksham on 25th October, Swindon on 6th November, Trowbridge on 7th, Chippenham on 12th and Westbury on 15th

Please spread the word.

To make best use of the new trains, the TransWilts Community Rail Partnership (TransWilts CRP) is setting up station groups at each station along the line to co-ordinate existing groups and help produce local trave plans and timetable sheets, distribute information, adopt station facilities, help new users and provide early feedback.