Says a lot about the Promise from FGW▸ that the 142's won't go west of Newton Abbot.
Can I offer an alternative use for such a unit?
06:00 Exeter - Yeovil - Westbury - Swindon (arr 08:30)
08:45 Swindon - Westbury - Salisbury (arr 10:00)
10:15 Salisbury - Swindon (arr 11:30)
11:45 Swindon - Salisbury (arr 13:00)
13:15 Salisbury - Swindon (arr 14:30)
14:45 Swindon - Salisbury (arr 16:00)
16:15 Salisbury - Swindon (arr 17:30)
17:45 Swindon - Westbury - Yeovil - Exeter (arr 20:15)
Not sure of the pathing etc ... I know it would need to be changed somewhat in certain places; I
do know that it's clear of the other passenger service on the TransWilts single line section from Chippenham to Trowbridge since the only remaining trains on that under the current timetable are out of the way in the morning BEFORE this schedule makes its first run, or don't run until AFTER it is out of the way!
A promise that one
would provide a service North East of Trowbridge - if kept - would be most welcome, and give it a few months to bed in you would have a busy service.
Note the good Swindon commuter provision, the building up (with the 06:18 and 18:45 services off Swindon, 07:45 and 20:20 arrivals back there remaining) of a sensible TransWilts service, and the ability to reroute some of the Malvern to Warminster services to Frome to provide the more frequent service that town justifies.
Oops - right TOC▸ , wrong county board