Melksham Sunday Starter from September

[whole diary]

[John R]

I notice in the timetable published on the CRP^▸ (Community Rail Partnership) site, that the first Sunday train doesn't quite disappear after the summer this year, but a round trip Westbury to Melksham and back again takes its place.

Although any improvement is a positive step, I was musing whether after the summer traffic to Weymouth has finished if there would be more demand from MKM^» (Melksham (Station code) - next trains) northwards?  (Although I'm guessing that if the unit and crew are sourced from Westbury than that would effectively mean retaining the whole of that first service, or at least as far as CPM^» (Chippenham - next trains).)

[grahame]

I notice in the timetable published on the CRP^▸ (Community Rail Partnership) site, that the first Sunday train doesn't quite disappear after the summer this year, but a round trip Westbury to Melksham and back again takes its place.

Although any improvement is a positive step, I was musing whether after the summer traffic to Weymouth has finished if there would be more demand from MKM^» (Melksham (Station code) - next trains) northwards?  (Although I'm guessing that if the unit and crew are sourced from Westbury than that would effectively mean retaining the whole of that first service, or at least as far as CPM^» (Chippenham - next trains).)

Network Rail are unwilling to let it onto the main line that they're busy electrifying in the winter that early on a Sunday morning. Stated to us as one step toward a full year-round trip. Will be a somewhat interesting train to sell / fill ...

[John R]

That's a not unreasonable position given the circumstances. It's a still a positive step forward and shows the willingness to develop the service incrementally where possible in advance of hopefully a bigger change in a couple of years.