| 20 years ago today - 20th September 2005 - Inaugural Save the Train meeting Posted by grahame at 16:13, 20th September 2023 |     |
https://grahamellis.uk/blog994.html
18 years ago today (Wednesday 20th September 2005) I hosted the inaugural meeting of "Save the Train"
"Graham - this is Melksham - it would be a miracle to get 20 people to a meeting". So said the doubters.
Going forward at that point, the train service was 2 trains each way per day (06:36 and 19:18 southbound, 07:21 and 19:47 northbound) and there were 3,000 passenger journeys per day - that's an average of one passenger arriving and one passenger leaving on each train. The platform was long enough for a single carriage, there was just a bus shelter on it, and the bunny rabbits hopped around if you ventured down there. Few people in Melksham even knew we had a railway station!
"Graham - this is Melksham - it would be a miracle to get 20 people to a meeting". So said the doubters.
Going forward at that point, the train service was 2 trains each way per day (06:36 and 19:18 southbound, 07:21 and 19:47 northbound) and there were 3,000 passenger journeys per day - that's an average of one passenger arriving and one passenger leaving on each train. The platform was long enough for a single carriage, there was just a bus shelter on it, and the bunny rabbits hopped around if you ventured down there. Few people in Melksham even knew we had a railway station!
| Re: 20 years ago today - 20th September 2005 - Inaugural Save the Train meeting Posted by Mark A at 10:41, 27th September 2023 | |
A campaign that certainly got the word out and not just in Melksham.
Mark
| Re: 20 years ago today - 20th September 2005 - Inaugural Save the Train meeting Posted by grahame at 08:46, 20th September 2025 | |
Now 20 years ago ... interesting to look back at what I wrote at the time
https://grahamellis.uk/writings/hm447.html
https://grahamellis.uk/writings/hm448.html
| Re: 20 years ago today - 20th September 2005 - Inaugural Save the Train meeting Posted by Mark A at 11:52, 20th September 2025 | |
Can't recall if that's the meeting I attended, but it was certainly hosted in your training room. Only a frivolous user of the trains via Melksham, I'd occasionally head out after work to get a quick 'Rail travel fix', a circular trip via Chippenham and Trowbridge, with enough time at Melksham for a quick explore, make use of the fish and chip shop - with time to reflect on other companiable evening recreational rail trips that hinged on a foody destination.
Mark
| Re: 20 years ago today - 20th September 2005 - Inaugural Save the Train meeting Posted by grahame at 15:13, 21st September 2025 | |
Can't recall if that's the meeting I attended, but it was certainly hosted in your training room.
That meeting was in the "old" training centre at 404, The Spa, SN12 6QL ... the year before we bought 48 Spa Road - the Old Manor Guest House at 48, Spa Road, SN17 7NY. Further writeup at https://grahamellis.uk/blog1725.html
There were - dozens - at the old place that evening. A prophet of doom told us not to bother (see https://grahamellis.uk/writings/hm447.html ) but I'm so glad we did. Partly because of what we've achieved, but also because of the pleasure in so doing.
| Re: 20 years ago today - 20th September 2005 - Inaugural Save the Train meeting Posted by infoman at 06:08, 22nd September 2025 | |
Grahame not intending to upstage you,but I do recall a guy called David De Costa,who I think lived in Chippenham,
who started a campaign group,circa 1990's? who I think used the e-mail address of something like we get you home
| Re: 20 years ago today - 20th September 2005 - Inaugural Save the Train meeting Posted by grahame at 08:02, 22nd September 2025 | |
Grahame not intending to upstage you,but I do recall a guy called David De Costa,who I think lived in Chippenham,
who started a campaign group,circa 1990's? who I think used the e-mail address of something like we get you home
who started a campaign group,circa 1990's? who I think used the e-mail address of something like we get you home
There have been and are many campaigners and groups around. One of my early personal delights was linking up with and people like Gordon Dodge, Peter Blackburn and John Money (alas they are no longer with us) and John Hamley, Alan Baines, etc (who very much are) and being welcomed ad a newcomer and fellow campaigner. They were the core of the Melksham Railway Development Group who had helped bring the station here back from being closed to open - a far greater achievement than just that achieved by others since, though a different era, different techniques and far less public visibility. A rise from zero to 3,000 passenger journeys a year is seen by 3,000 people; a rise from 3,000 to 75,000 is seen by over 70,000 and so makes so many more headlines and waves.
From the Gazette and Herald - David da Costa, 1st February 2002
Mr Da Costa is the self-styled rail campaigner who is attempting to organise a national passenger boycott for March 1.
He has also had his run-ins with the Swindon-based train operator, and threatened to set up another boycott against it last year.
But today he came to the defence of the company following warnings made by three powerful regional bodies.
The South West Regional Assembly, the South West Regional Development Agency and the Rail Passengers Committee issued a joint statement in which they threatened to withdraw support for First Great Western's bid to extend its franchise by two years up to 2008.
They said the company needed to improve its performance if they were to give their backing.
But Mr Da Costa, who leads the British Rail Advisory Group (BRAG) pressure group, says real progress has been made by First Great Western into making improvements.
He said: "The groups producing this report are all Government-funded agencies.
"They are political bodies and in no way do they represent the passengers.
"Passengers are starting to see better communication and improved customer focus."
Mr Da Costa, who lives in Chippenham, recently met Transport Secretary Stephen Byers to put forward his complaints about the state of the rail network.
BRAG, the largest passenger group in the country, claims to represent the views of more than 30,000 associate members and rail passengers.
Mr Da Costa also claims that the proposed boycott in March which is not aimed solely at First Great Western has 85 per cent public support.
He says the Rail Passengers Committee is toothless because it is too closely tied to the Government and the rail companies it is supposed to monitor.
He has also had his run-ins with the Swindon-based train operator, and threatened to set up another boycott against it last year.
But today he came to the defence of the company following warnings made by three powerful regional bodies.
The South West Regional Assembly, the South West Regional Development Agency and the Rail Passengers Committee issued a joint statement in which they threatened to withdraw support for First Great Western's bid to extend its franchise by two years up to 2008.
They said the company needed to improve its performance if they were to give their backing.
But Mr Da Costa, who leads the British Rail Advisory Group (BRAG) pressure group, says real progress has been made by First Great Western into making improvements.
He said: "The groups producing this report are all Government-funded agencies.
"They are political bodies and in no way do they represent the passengers.
"Passengers are starting to see better communication and improved customer focus."
Mr Da Costa, who lives in Chippenham, recently met Transport Secretary Stephen Byers to put forward his complaints about the state of the rail network.
BRAG, the largest passenger group in the country, claims to represent the views of more than 30,000 associate members and rail passengers.
Mr Da Costa also claims that the proposed boycott in March which is not aimed solely at First Great Western has 85 per cent public support.
He says the Rail Passengers Committee is toothless because it is too closely tied to the Government and the rail companies it is supposed to monitor.
"Funny" how some issues remain very much the same and there are lessons and campaigns here that work together. And I'll add the West Wiltshire Rail User Group, TravelWatch SouthWest (both where I have joined the team), More Train Less Strain, RailFuture and others to the organisations and who are effective in representing the passengers. TravelWatch SouthWest, in particular as the "User Group's User Group" for the South West of England and with massive tchnical and political knowledge and an ability to link paid rail and public sector professionals with customers and potential custnomers via their local groups made such a huge difference to our fledgling organisation(s) and our knowledge in a not-so-small town in Wiltshire that was cut off from regional and long distance public transport in 1966 and never really made it back and even to this day has not done so.
