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| Our Community Rail Partnership |
• Hugely successful trial service this summer - we worked with First Great Western, Network Rail, the Wessex Association of Chambers of Commerce and local sponsors .. and an extra train service ran from Westbury to Swindon and back on Sunday mornings in the high summer.
That was over 2000 days out over just 8 Sundays
• We now have the five key elements - Reports, surveys and trial results to point the way forward to service amendment to a more appropriate service in the next franchise which will be awareded for services from 2013 onwards.
See [here] for a full status report / presentation given to the Melksham Area Board of Wiltshire Council in late 2011.
Want to be kept in the picture? Sign up for an occasional newsletter on our contact page.
The TransWilts Community Rail Partnership covers the railway line from Swindon to Salisbury, via Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge, Westbury, Dilton Marsh and Warminster to Salisbury. The Partnership works in conjunction with business organisations, the rail industry, government at all levels, and local groups to encourage the development and use of services on the line, and the improvement of stations and other facilities.
Successes so far
* An extra train - the 18:19 (Sunday), Swindon to Westbury
* Information screen (not just a button!) at Melksham
* Timetable leaflets for Dilton Marsh - produce and distribute
* Retiming of Saturday Westbury -> Swindon service to provide connection
* Extra stop at Dilton Marsh in early evening service from Warminster
* Retiming of early Swindon to Southampton service to connect to London at Westbury
* Providing an enabling environment for current service improvement works
* Day trips to Weymouth and the Thames Path, Santa Specials with MRDG
Projects in the pipeline ... AND HAPPENING
All Along the line ...
* An improved train service - up to a level appropriate for the line
* Publicity via press and other media to encourage use of the line
* Day out, "use your train", trail and timetable leaflets
* Special trips
At Melksham
* Station Adoption << 8 members have been safety briefed
* Flower Beds
* Decoration of Shelter
* Connection through to Foundry Close
* Additional Parking
* Additional Information Boards
At Westbury
* Adoption and clearing of waste land by station entrance
At Dilton Marsh
* Decoration of Shelter
* Leaflet holder / timetable leaflet distribution
Some of these things we have done, others suggested, others asked for. It's clearly impossible to know which id any of the suggestions would have come up anyway, and which others may have asked for and got!. But we do have excellent communications with Wiltshire Council, First Great Western, Network Rail and the Department for Transport.
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| News - what's going on? | We've currently got just two round trips a day - a very low level of service indeed for a line that links the five largest population centres in the county. We're putting the history of how the line got into this appalling state behind us, and working with all the major players - local business organisations, government at various levels, our MPs, and the rail industry, so work out what's an appropriate, yet affordable, service in these current tough economic times.
The survey - just below - ran last spring and we took your inputs to help us fin-tune the shape of an improved service. And we were far from certain there would be an improved service - so we needed you to show an interest via the survey. Successfully busy (and positive) survey - we're currently in the stages of sorting out / working out if and how the service that we now know you want can be provided.
In parallel with the survey, a number of options have been 'validated' - in other words, checked that they would work operationally, and that they would have a significant economic benefit. There would be no point in running empty trains ... we're all agreed on this!
Where shall I go now?
The follow the navigation links on the left of this page - we're the Community, and we're in the process of adding a wide range of information about the journey opportunities - commuting, education, business trips, days out and longer journeys that will be offered when (and if) the service level rises to make such things practical. We also cover the handful of practical opportunities that there are already, such as Saturday shopping trips from West Wiltshire to Swindon | | About this site | You're at our home page!
Whether you're here to find out about train services, to look for ideas for days out, to volunteer to help us, or to support our work for an improved train service, we have a page for you.
 The TransWilts Community Rail Partnership is working alongside the Wessex Association of Chambers of Commerce, Wiltshire Council, Network Rail, and First Great Western under the banner "Trans Wilts Rail".
Until 18th February, there's a survey of running on the TransWilts Rail site for YOU to complete - there's a business survey and a a public survey. After that date, timetable and station information will be available, provided and maintained by the Community Rail Partnership.
Select [here] to open that site in a separate window and take part in the survey.
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TransWilts Community Rail Partnership - http://www.twcrp.org.uk - info@twcrp.org.uk
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OUR LINE |
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 Community Rail Partnership
Chippenham
Melksham
Trowbridge
Westbury
Dilton Marsh
Warminster
Salisbury
• Change at Swindon for Didcot, Reading and London (Paddington)
• Change at Chippenham or Trowbridge for Bath and Bristol
• Change at Westbury for Weymouth and the West of England
• Change at Salisbury for Southampton and Portsmouth, Basingstoke and London (Waterloo)
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