Yesterday, London ... a frenetic two hours in which we discussed reliability and frequency at Melksham, and making the station more  welcoming and integrated with other sustainable and public transport here.   Amazing to think how much can be done in 2 hours - that's the gap between most trains here!

Over the past years, passenger journey numbers at Melksham have risen from 3,000 per annum to 75,000 - I would describe that as being from "useless" to "poor". Numbers should be between 350,00 and 400,000.  And how we get there was discussed - it's needed all the more with all these extra homes being built to help avoid gridlock.  My project for years ahead.

I came home via Chippenham where I got talking to a couple of young gentemen - users of Melksham Station which they desroibes to me as a sh*thole.  Not a word I would have used, but I  share the sentiment. We are - all - agreed that we have come a long way, but we still have a long way to go.

A very positive meeting with GWR this week, including much discussion on the proposed Devizes Parkway Station with Head of Regional Development, Dan Okey. We also spoke about improving the frequency of services from Melksham Station.

More broadly, we also discussed improving transport routes to local stations and making them more welcoming and accessible.

It was also great to welcome Graham Ellis and Richard Cowell from the West Wilts Rail Users Group to Westminster to speak with GWR and share their experience of local rail travel.

As a very frequent rail user myself, I know we badly need improved rail services in our area and I will keep pushing and working with GWR to make this a reality.

February 2017 ...

The "Save the Train" campaign was created in 2005 at a time when the whole future of passenger trains calling at Melksham Station was in doubt. Services held on by a thread through to 2010, with a strong local campaign. Objectives were to establish a permanent, appropriate train for Melksham's station, the line through it, and the communities served. Steps towards that objective:
* to raise awareness of the issues (2005 to 2009)
* to evaluate what's an appropriate service (2009 to 2011)
* to work towards that appropriate service (gain) (2012 and 2013)
* to ensure that an appropriate service is retained (2013 onward)

Over the years, the group moved from being protesters to being partners, working with local and central government, businesses in the area served, train operators and the rest of the rail industry, other user and community groups. As we shifted from protest to partner, we formed the "TransWilts Community Rail Partnership". Initially TransWilts worked as a group working within the community, then with First Great Western (now GWR) support, adding Wiltshire Council and central government though a Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) grant. Once the service was up and running on a trial basis, TransWilts was able to join ACoRP (the Association of Community Rail Partnerhips) - a Department for Transport sponsored organisation to help put new life into local lines. And as the service became permanent in December 2016, the service has become "designated" with gives the partneship some further authority / input, in particlar allowing local variation of national standards and policy where that works for the towns served.

Passenger journey numbers to, from and through Melksham - that's the line section unique to the TransWilts - were about 18,000 per annum when we started and are now up to a quarter of a million. Train service is up from 2 each way per day to 9 each way per day, passenger journey numbers at Melksham Station up from 3,000 per annum to around 60,000 per annum. The original trains still run - but where they had 2 or 3 passengers they're now conveying up to 30, and some of the new trains are full and standing (but if you're a potential passenger, there's still room for a few more on board).

There's still campaining and collaboration work to do - modelling suggests that Melksham passenger journeys can rise 5 times more to around 300,000 per annum - and for that we need a longer platform (project underway), longer trains (also underway) and more of them. And we need to improve access to Melksham station away from the tracks, and get the town's bus service to connect with the train rather than ignoring it.

Yes - the campaign has been successful - but that very success tells us that we're not where we should be yet and need to keep working for more and longer trains - and indeed link them into other trains beyond Westbury to Salisbury, and to Southampton and the airport.