Received this email from TransWilts Community Rail Partnership. Update on Swindon - Salisbury services. Seems they are making slow, but steady progress!
There's the very real prospect of an improved "TransWilts" train service from next December, running from Swindon to Salisbury and back about every 2 hours during the day, and hourly in the peaks. The Wessex Association of Chambers of Commerce, Wiltshire Council, our MPs, and the main players in the rail industry such as Network Rail and the franchised train operating company have all come together to help make the case, as part of a probable additional rolling stock allocation to the Wessex / Bristol area.
Within the last couple of years, you have supported the "Save the Train" campaign via our website - and that resulted in the formation of an embryonic "TransWilts Community Rail Partnership" last year. The partnership has been set up as the eyes and ears of the potential users of the service, and we too are part of this current grouping - working for a much more appropriate service to serve Swindon, Wootton Bassett for Lyneham (future possibility), Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge, Westbury, Dilton Marsh, Warminster and Salisbury.
You may have seen some press comment in the last week or two, and indeed you may have already completed the online survey - there's a public survey and one for businesses, and please complete them if you haven't done so yet - BOTH if you run a business.
http://www.transwiltsrail.org.uk
Timescales are tight - the survey closes at the end of next week (18th Febraury) and then we'll be working hard on what we have learned - to make sure that the proposals make the best use of the resources that may be available - i.e. provide services when and where they would be used on the line. This data will also help the independent evaluators see the strength of the case.
After the survey closes on 18th February, the web site will be updated to provide further details of the line, and the Partnership website will start to show many ideas like day out options, timetables, and will start to talk about things that we've had a hand in already, such as timetable leaflets, station adoption, special trips, and so on. I'll write again later in the year to fill you in on how we're getting on, and then - hopefully - in November to tell you about the services that will be running from 11th December. Please do drop me an email if you would rather I didn't send you these updates.
We're in a busy few weeks - and we're looking forward to regaining a more appropriate TransWilts service, linking businesses, linking communities, and linking Wiltshire.
Graham Ellis[/url]
TransWilts Update
trans wilts
any info of railway news is always welcome so any that you think is worth please post it.