What does "passing a platform for SDO" mean?

[whole diary]

[swlines]

Nah Jim, how about Gainsborough Central. Really high usage that one...

[Lee]

Nah Jim, how about Gainsborough Central. Really high usage that one...

For those not familiar with the situation at Gainsborough Central, see link below.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gainsborough_Central_railway_station

In the Strategic Rail Authority's 2002/3 financial year, only 5 fare-paying people (excluding season ticket holders) boarded trains at Gainsborough Central station, and 3 disembarked, making it the least busy station in the United Kingdom, with Barry Links. The 2004/05 figures reveal 21 passengers used the station that year, putting it slightly below Watford West, a station which has been 'temporarily closed' since 1996, on a line which is currently missing both track and bridges.

The real figure for Gainsborough Central, however, may be slightly higher, as some tickets can be purchased to "Gainsborough stations" and these journeys are credited to Lea Road, as the group station.

The present service comprises just three trains per week (in each direction), on Saturdays between Sheffield and Cleethorpes.

North Lincolnshire Council, however, is campaigning to increase this to an hourly service in each direction.

[Jim]

The hourly service is all good, if the trial happens, but what a fuss will be kicked up when not many people use it and it gets put back to current level....

[Lee]

The hourly service is all good, if the trial happens, but what a fuss will be kicked up when not many people use it and it gets put back to current level....

I would put it more as "if not many people use it and it gets put back to current level...."

A lot depends on how much effort is made to publicise/get people on to new services. Lets take the upcoming Severn Beach Line extra services as an example. I'm a realist, and I accept that there is a possibility that the trial could fail. However, many groups, organisations, and individuals (myself included) will be doing everything they possibly can to let people know about/get people onto those trains and make it a success.

[grahame]

A bit of an aside to answer queries raised

Comparisons are bound to be drawn at times, as they give a good reference point and balance.  And I have drawn many comparisons with regard to traffic levels that should be on offer between Melksham station, currently with a truely dreadful service, and other stations within 20 miles or so.   The closest comparison turns out to be to Frome, which has a population that's just 5% higher than Melksham and a station that is not right in the town centre. Other useful comparisons in the local area can be made to Warminster and to Bradford-on-Avon, but both of those have a significantly lower population.   I decline to compare to Westbury - that has a significantly lower population, but is a special case in that it's a major junction and changing point with a significant proportion of people changing trains, and a significant attraction potential as a park and ride for services headed off in six different directions rather than the two directions of each of the other stations mentioned.  Current traffic level comparisions are dangerous, as they tend to enshrine any weaknesses of current service and distortions into future plans. 

The TransWilts has its current service because of 2002 figures, which were distorted because of an excellent increase in service in 2001 which had not been allowed to "bed in" before the surveys were taken, and a false assumption of virtually no (0.8% per annum) growth.  Compare that to 10% compound growth (county council figures) or 35% compound growth (ORR^» (Office of Rail and Road, formerly Office of Rail Regulation - about) figures, measured on Melksham ticket sales which are somewhat misleading too).

A future service based on current ridership NOW would also be false.  From an (estimated) traffic of 60,000 journeys per annum at around 2002, traffic rose to 120,000 journeys per annum accouring to First at the time they took over.  My current estimate is - being generous - around a tenth of that. 

Future provision needs to be based on future use, and I'm very glad to see Wiltshire County Council and First both looking at that, and coming up with a far more positive picture than a simple continuance of either 2002 or 2007 figures.

Future use is based on things like (a) Population served by the railhead, (b) the potential growth in that population, (c) the need or desire for that population to travel, (d) the availability or otherwise of other practical alternatives as well as (e) the frequency, reliability, speed, timing and price of the service offered.  To base it on current data alone would enshrine the faults in the current system.

Back on subject

The question asked is based on a request for a stop just once or twice in a year (thus the B-o-A comparison, with no regular HST^▸ (High Speed Train (Inter City class 43 125 units)) calls to my knoweldge) and a statement by FGW^▸ (First Great Western)'s local managers that it would be possible to stop HSTs at Melksham after December 2007, once SDO^▸ (Selective Door Opening) was available on all units on the fleet.  In hindsight, we may have been intentionally mislead with a double negative, in other words We can't stop HSTs until December 2007 might have been said, omitting and we can't stop them afterwards either.   Not the first time we have been caught like that, either ...