TransWilts CRP, CIC and Melksham RUG
Public and sustainable transport in Wiltshire

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For 2023 (and 2024 ...) - we are now fully retired from IT training.
We have made many, many friends over 25 years of teaching about Python, Tcl, Perl, PHP, Lua, Java, C and C++ - and MySQL, Linux and Solaris/SunOS too. Our training notes are now very much out of date, but due to upward compatability most of our examples remain operational and even relevant ad you are welcome to make us if them "as seen" and at your own risk.

Lisa and I (Graham) now live in what was our training centre in Melksham - happy to meet with former delegates here - but do check ahead before coming round. We are far from inactive - rather, enjoying the times that we are retired but still healthy enough in mind and body to be active!

I am also active in many other area and still look after a lot of web sites - you can find an index ((here))
Back from the future

It's good to take a strategic look ahead from time to time - not a look at the immediate tactics of the next step or two along the way, but a look far into the future, and see where we will be in many years time. A good friend of mine (a Doctor) who is something of a Timelord has downloaded the following for me from my future blog ... where I comment on transport in 2032. I wrote ...

25 years ago, in 2007, I attended the "Enquiry in Public into the Regional Spatial Strategy" in Exeter - a look ahead to government planning for housing and travel in the South West of England for the following 20 years. Arguments ranged about road developments, about where housing and employment should grow (and by how much), and so on. And it's interesting to look back now and see where we are today - how events have overtaken and modified the plans as they were made in those day, before energy prices rocketed from 2007 onwards, and ever decreasing resources and global warming forced some radical changes.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

In the South West, 2007 and 2008 were the peak years for long distance road passenger travel; a doubling of crude oil prices in 2008 lead to a 30% rise in petrol prices which lead to a move to more efficient private vehicles but, ultimately, a move on from the era where a family's affluence was measured by the number of cars they ran.

Long distance rail travel grew for several more years - peaking in 2010; the fuel price rises at first pushed people off the roads, and then (with rail prices rising too) more and more people reduced their journeys - working from home, holding electronic meetings, etc. The number of leisure journeys grew - but the length of such journeys dropped. Instead of holidaying in the Caribbean, our Prime Minister holidayed in Southwold.

Shorter public transport journeys - which we classify these days as local (up to 10km) and regional (up to 100km) continued to grow and indeed continue to grow to this day. Companies like First Great Western provided nearly all the rail services in the South West in 2007, and had bid for an operating franchise based on the "cash cow" of long distance travel and took on local services - with a forecast of 0.8% growth - only because the government forced them to. They found themselves seriously wrong-footed, and we went through some very interesting times. Totally inappropriate services were provided for a while - overcapacity from London to Bristol, but at the same time no practical service at all for regional / local services such as Oxford - Swindon - Trowbridge.

OVERVIEW - CURRENT SERVICES

How are services run today, then?

Almost every train service runs hourly, from 5 a.m. through to midnight.

Long distance trains stop every 40 or 50 miles, with a top speed of 90 m.p.h; faster than that was expensive in terms of extra energy use for very little gain. In any case long distance commuting is a thing of the past - people are now travelling to occasional meetings, or for leisure purposes on these services. Trains vary in length - up to 12 coaches on some routes, with 9 coaches for passenger seating, one customer service car, and a power and light goods car on the front and rear.

Regional services, which connect well at key points with long distance trains and other regional services, also run with a top speed of 90 m.p.h. Typically, they're "all stations" services stopping every 10 miles or so. They miss out some stations in urban areas where there are also local train services. You'll find up to six or seven coaches on a typical regional service - a power / light goods car, a customer service car, and up to 5 passenger coaches.

Local trains, in urban areas, run rather more frequently - at least once every 30 minutes, and sometimes more.

A high speed rail link was built in the first decade of this century, linking London to Folkstone for the Channel Tunnel. A project for other high speed lines, and trains called "HST2"s to run at very high speeds, were started. But after the Channel Tunnel link, none of these was completed. You can see some of the earthworks in the Midlands where construction was started and then abandoned ...

STOCK

The long distance trains (LDTs) that are running today use PEST (Practical Electrical Storage Technology). In other words, they're electric trains, but with no need for third rail or catenary that made electrification so expensive in infrastructure in the 20th Century. Originally designated "125" trains and capable of 125 m.p.h., these (now)electric trains have origins going back some 60 years. They were re-engined after about 30 years, with an intention of extending their life by another 10 years, then converted to stored electricity technology a few years later. Slower running speeds mean reduced energy use, reduced wear and tear, and it's no longer important to shave a few minutes off journey times. In any case, better acceleration compensates for lower top speeds, and a more uniform line speed increases line capacity in busy areas.

Regional trains (RTs) are also "125"s converted to PEST - or rather they are "half 125s". Half the length of long distance trains, single power coach, and with a streamlined cowling on the other end of the train. The much reduced frequency of long distance trains lead to a surplus of units, and the elimination of peak demand in what used to be a peak hour released more of them - and each spare LDT converted to two RTs.

Local trains, also PEST powered, have a top speed of 60 m.p.h, which is plenty. Electricity gives excellent acceleration, and distances are short. Once again, you'll find old diesel units at the heart of most of the local trains - former class 150 units from all across the country now work in the West, forming 4 car local trains in Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth.

SERVICES

This example is from my own region - trains to and through Severnside which stretches from the town of Bent on the northern flank on Salisbury Plain up to Tewkesbury, across to the Welsh border and down to Taunton and Yeovil.

• Long Distance Services every hour:

Paddington - Reading - Swindon - Badminton - Bristol North - Severn Tunnel (passport control) - Newport - Cardiff

Paddington - Reading - Westbury - Castle Cary - Somerton - Taunton - Exeter - Newton Abbott - Plymouth

Exeter - Tiverton - Taunton - Bristol Central - Bristol North - Gloucester and Cheltenham - Birmingham - Crewe - Liverpool

• Regional services every hour

Swindon - Wootton Bassett - Chippenham - Corsham - Box - Batheaston - Bath - Bristol Central - Nailsea - Weston-super-Mare - Highbridge - Bridgewater - Taunton - and stations to Minehead

(from Bedford) Oxford - Abingdon - Didcot - Wantage - Shrivenham - Swindon - Wootton Bassett - Chippenham - Lacock - Melksham - Staverton - Trowbridge - White Horse - Westbury - Frome - Bruton - Castle Cary - Sparkford - Yeovil (to Exeter and Plymouth via Tavistock)

Swindon - Kemble - Chalford - Stroud - Stonehouse - Gloucester and Cheltenham - stations via Lyndey and Chepstow to Severn Tunnel

Reading - Theale - Newbury - Kintbury - Hungerford - Bedwyn - Pewsey - Lavington - Bent - Westbury - Frome - Radstock

(from Wales) Severn Tunnel - Bristol Central - Bath - Trowbridge - Westbury - Salisbury - Romsey - Eastleigh - Fareham - Gosport - Portsmouth.

• Local Services

Salisbury, Wilton, Codford, Warminster, Dilton, Westbury, White Horse, Trowbridge, Bradford-on-Avon, Avoncliff, Freshford, Limpley Stoke, Batheaston, Bath, Oldfield Park, Saltford, Keynsham, Brislington and Bristol Central. (2 times per hour)

Weston-super-Mare to Bristol Central, Bristol North, Gloucester and Cheltenham, Ashchurch and Worcester (All stations, 2 times per hour to Gloucester, then hourly)

Portishead and all stations via Bristol Central and Bristol North to Severn Tunnel (2 times per hour)

Bristol Central and all stations to Clifton, Avonmouth, Henbury and Bristol North (2 times per hour)

Bristol Airport and all stations to Avonmouth (via Bristol Central, Bristol North, Pilning and Severn Beach) (2 times per hour)

• Connections

One of the key features of the rail network is to provide for true door to door journeys with excellent connections all along the way. Although trains are less frequent on some lines than they used to be, they are always "clockface" at all times of day, and connect excellently.

Taking my own regional service from Melksham, for example, it offers a rail connection into the Salisbury and Portsmouth express at Westbury (the two trains pull in alongside each other), a connection at Yeovil for Weymouth, at Exeter for Kingswear, for Exmouth and for Ilfracombe, and at Plymouth for Cornwall. In the other direction, there's a connection at Chippenham for Bath and Bristol, at Swindon for London and South Wales, at Oxford for Birmingham, at Milton Keynes for Liverpool and for Gretna, and at Bedford for Sheffield and the North East. With all services being hourly, other changes no longer involve the 2 or 3 hour waits we were familiar with in 2008 under First if - for example - you wanted to travel from Melksham to Westbury and on to Taunton.

STATIONS AS RAILHEADS

"Door to door" is the objective of public transport, so you'll find that nearly every station is now fed by a network of PEST Trolleys - vehicles that carry up to 20 passengers at speeds of up to 20 m.p.h. and congregate at stations just before trains are due, leaving shortly after trains have called. They're automatically driven along fixed routes and to a timetable, but with extra vehicles on standby to provide some fillin at busy times.

Talking Melksham - most services run from the 2012 station hub at the Dunch Lane retail park (formerly Leekes)

Service 1 - Bromham - Sandridge - Forest Road - Town Centre - Station - Whitley, Atworth, Stonar
Service 2 - Hilperton - Semington - Town Centre - Station - Avon Road - Beanacre - Lacock village
Service 3 - Bowerhill - Spa Road - Town Centre - Station - Broughton Gifford - Holt
Service 5 - Station - Town Centre - Woodrow
Service 6 - Avon Meadows - Station - Town Centre - Queensway - Snowberry - Snarleton
Service 9 - Station - Town Centre - Spa Road - Melksham Oak - Sells Green

Through services are not provided to neighbouring settlements, but route ends co-incide for good connections. For example, Service 1 at Bromham connects into the service via Devizes to Lavington, and at Atworth into the service from there to Box.

OPERATIONAL MATTERS

All trains operate under the Train Operation and Safety System for Automated Railways (TOSSAR). This is a driverless system that used GPS over a secure network to track train positioning, and wide area rail track analysis (WARTA) to monitor the condition of the track and its surround with the passing of every train.

Trains carry enough PEST cells for 8 hours of running, with cells being replaced at selected stations throughout twice a day on each unit. PEST cells take up to a week to recharge through solar, wind or wave power. Some services even make additional stops to ensure that the cells can be replaced without the need for further transportation of them. (Dawlish, Pilning for wave energy).

All stations now have security in the form of Station Entry Arches (SEARCH) which undertake necessary security checks and note traveller's Wireless Credit Cards (WCCs) to charge for the journeys. There is no longer any need to purchase tickets ahead of time.

Services operate 7 days a week, from around 5 a.m. to midnight, with closure from 00:30 to 04:30 to allow works to be carried out on the tracks. Minor train maintainance is carried out overnight, with trains undergoing further (full day) maintainance at regular intervals. Such maintenance is a 7 day a week operation too.

Schedules are set to include an extra 10% for unforeseen delays on each stage of the journey. There's a target for 99% of service to arrive at each station they call at within one minute of the scheduled time, and for 99.9% to arrive within 4 minutes. These targets are regularly achieved.

STAFFING

All trains except local trains convey a customer services coach with a customer services representative on board who can help you with travel information, sell you refreshments, etc. The customer service representative is also a trained rail safety officer who is on hand to deal with any emergency situation.

PRICING

Journeys are charged at 3.5 Euros per mile (that's the equivalent of 35p per mile at 2008 prices) with an additional charge of 20 Euros for each journey to cover administration costs. So that a 100 Mile journey from (say) Melksham to London would cost 370 Euros (37 pounds at 2008 prices). In order to encourage regular passengers to travel at times when services are quieter, there's a 10% surcharge for travel if the train was more that 80% filled on the same day 4 weeks previous, and a 20% reduction for travel at times that the train was less that 40% filled on the same day 4 weeks ago.

All travellers may purchase an "I prefer the train" railcard for 400 Euros annually, entitling them to a 10% discount off all fares expect at the busiest (80% + full) time.

All trains are single class, and there are no longer fare reductions for Pensioners, Children, Overseas Visitors, members of the forces, students, etc. VAT is charged at the current lower rate of 21%.

FREIGHT - parcel / retail level

60 years ago, people used their local shops when they wanted to make purchases and they carried them home on the bus. 40 years ago, people drove in their cars to the store on the edge of town and brought their purchases home. 20 years ago, goods were ordered online and a much-duplicated set of delivery vehicles ran short and long distance making deliveries.

Today, we use a Package Integrated Service System. Packages are collected by local vehicles running on PEST and taken to the local railway station, where they are fed into the Warehouse for Through Freight. The luggage /power cars of long distance and regional trains pull up alongside the warehouse, and goods are automatically transferred onto trains ... and the process is reversed at the destination to give a door to door integrated system. (suggestions for acronyms, please, for the Package Integrated Service System and Warehouse for Through Freight)

ROADS

Only a few people still run their own private petrol or diesel road vehicle these days - and they're mostly historical enthusiasts; their mileage is limited by the high cost of fuel - some 150 Euros per litre (that's 15 pounds per litre at 2008 prices). But many people have PEST vehicles; although slow to charge at home through wind and solar energy, they are more than adequate for local journeys on which they are computer driven - using the same system as the trolleys. They're ideal for the school run, or for personal transport to your nearest trolley stop or station; there's no parking problems there any more, as now that they're automatic the vehicles can make their own way home, and can pick you up too, summoned to meet your train by computer control.

The former motorway and trunk road (bypass) network is to a very large extent redundant - long distance travel for passengers and freight has been very much reduced and is almost exclusively rail based. In my own part of the world, the M4 motorway still has some use with extra junctions every mile or two making it into a useful local road. The A350 bypass sections around Chippenham and Melksham are used for local traffic, but the Westbury bypass, built against all forward looking advice and without and intermediate accesses, turned out to be a whiter elephant. There's simply no need these days for a road that avoids the major transport hub at Westbury station, and it's now the most beautiful of tracks for walkers, cyclist and riders who want to take in the magnificent Well Head Valley and fine views of the Westbury White horse it affords.

AIRLINES and SHIPPING

Air travel has also reduced in the past 30 years; still relying largely on fossil fuel as PEST cells are very heavy, flights are now down to a strategic set of long distance routes. In our area, Bristol flights run every 4 hours to Rekjavik (for connections to North America), Amsterdam (for connections to Europe) , Bagdad (for connections to the East), Cassablanca (for connections to Africa and South America) and Dundee. Flight prices are based on 5 Euros per mile (50p at 2008 UK prices).

There has been a resurgence in passenger travel by sea over very long distances; rather than fly to the USA for an annual holiday in Florida, most families will make in the trip of a lifetime, taking a month out and travelling on the daily liner from Liverpool.

Graham Ellis
Melksham
Friday, 30th July 2032
(written 2008-07-30, updated 2008-08-01)

 
Associated topics are indexed as below, or enter http://melksh.am/nnnn for individual articles
Z501 - Public Transport - Rail
  [154] Railway train service, Melksham station - (2004-12-17)
  [428] Swindon - Chippenham - Melksham - Trowbridge - Westbury train service - (2005-08-29)
  [434] Through public transport connection, Chippenham to Salisbury, to cease - (2005-09-02)
  [447] Tomorrow's meeting. - (2005-09-19)
  [486] Rail services under threat - Swindon, Melksham ... and Newquay and Bicester too - (2005-11-05)
  [488] Looking for railway groups and users - Swindon, Salisbury, Southampton - (2005-11-06)
  [521] Proof needed? Please just use common sense! - (2005-12-08)
  [524] Santa comes to Melksham - (2005-12-11)
  [527] Greater Western Franchise Awarded - (2005-12-13)
  [632] Moral dilemma - (2006-03-04)
  [634] Real chance to make a difference - (2006-03-05)
  [648] West Wilts Railway Users Group and trains to Lacock - (2006-03-16)
  [688] Are you free on Friday evening? - (2006-04-18)
  [697] For any North and West Wilts and Swindon Readers - (2006-04-23)
  [790] Shadow Transport Minister to visit Melksham - (2006-07-02)
  [803] Not shouting - (2006-07-16)
  [814] Melksham Railway Calendar 2007 - (2006-07-25)
  [877] Yes, but what do we do now?? - (2006-09-24)
  [952] Coming from London to Melksham by train for a course - (2006-11-28)
  [974] The last commuter train through Melksham - (2006-12-09)
  [976] Santa at the station - (2006-12-09)
  [1033] Empty at Easleigh, Missing at Melksham, Overflowing at Oldfield - (2007-01-14)
  [1044] Call for appropriate train services - Swindon, Bristol, Bath, West Wilts, Severn Beach etc - (2007-01-18)
  [1045] Bang! Train campaign hits home - (2007-01-19)
  [1063] Bradford-on-Avon - 150 years of passenger trains - (2007-02-03)
  [1069] Rail trouble forced me to buy hotel - (2007-02-07)
  [1076] Save the Train - an update - (2007-02-12)
  [1093] Wiltshire Train - can YOU come on 5th March? - (2007-02-25)
  [1097] Train and business balls all in the air! - (2007-03-02)
  [1139] Overcrowded trains around Bristol - (2007-04-08)
  [1228] Some progress on the train campaign - (2007-06-10)
  [1273] Melksham or Weymouth? Meal or day out? - (2007-07-23)
  [1274] Radio coverage for railway issues - (2007-07-23)
  [1291] Day trip to Weymouth - (2007-08-05)
  [1303] Heading Upstate New York - (2007-08-14)
  [1314] Business travel by train in the USA - (2007-08-22)
  [1358] Look forward with a new broom - Wiltshire Train Service - (2007-09-19)
  [1382] First Great Western - information for customers - (2007-10-07)
  [1424] Closer than you think - the next step - (2007-11-08)
  [1428] Travel Across Wiltshire - the game - (2007-11-11)
  [1452] Santa on the train to Melksham - (2007-12-01)
  [1530] Railway Acronyms and Abbreviations - (2008-02-03)
  [1558] Getting somewhere with the train service - (2008-02-28)
  [1567] Melksham - Swindon. Train v Bus v Car - (2008-03-07)
  [1616] Not daring to be an anorak - (2008-04-19)
  [1708] A Train Service Update for Melksham Party in the Park - (2008-07-13)
  [1757] Preserved railways - struggling to the future? - (2008-08-17)
  [1848] 30th November - Santa Trip from Melksham - (2008-10-19)
  [1858] Camera with night vision, youth with no vision - (2008-10-28)
  [1905] A Gold Star for First Great Western Customer Service - (2008-11-24)
  [1964] Why hasnt the fiasco been put right - (2008-12-29)
  [1965] How much does a train service actually cost - (2008-12-29)
  [1966] Background to the TransWilts Train Fiasco - (2008-12-29)
  [1999] How low can you sink? - (2009-01-17)
  [2024] Carry on Training - in spite of the weather - (2009-02-03)
  [2026] Melksham Climate Friendly Group - (2009-02-05)
  [2042] Wiltshire Rail Service Update - (2009-02-15)
  [2057] Train and Coach fares from London (and airports) to Melksham - (2009-02-26)
  [2133] Bigger and better this year! - (2009-04-20)
  [2268] Westbury Bypass Refused - looking forward - (2009-07-04)
  [2318] For Lua Programmers AND for Town Planners - (2009-08-02)
  [2328] Melksham - no trains, no southbound buses through the town - (2009-08-08)
  [2372] Public Transport from (and to) Melksham on Sundays - (2009-08-23)
  [2391] Great Western Route Utilisation Strategy - Draft for Consultation - (2009-09-02)
  [2395] From Lymington by train - last of the slammers - (2009-09-05)
  [2438] Listening to The Minister - (2009-10-05)
  [2457] Railway Arithmetic - (2009-10-16)
  [2473] Exploring Old Railways - (2009-10-24)
  [2477] By train ... - (2009-10-25)
  [2486] Santa Special - Trowbridge and Melksham to Swindon - (2009-10-31)
  [2511] The story of the railway land at Melksham Station - (2009-11-24)
  [2513] Wiltshire Council purchases Melksham Station Land - (2009-11-26)
  [2522] Integrated public Transport - what could be done for Melksham - (2009-12-01)
  [2529] Santa Special, 2009 - (2009-12-06)
  [2533] Five guests, three groups, one car - (2009-12-11)
  [2556] Railway Station Survey - please complete today or tomorrow - (2009-12-30)
  [2557] Rail Campaign - response to core consultation - (2009-12-31)
  [2568] Forums for your Melksham and open source discussions - (2010-01-09)
  [2626] On Malachite Green - (2010-02-06)
  [2627] Saturdays out from Melksham - to Oxford, to Didcot or to Swindon - (2010-02-07)
  [2634] London to and from Melksham by public transport - (2010-02-13)
  [2658] Save the Train - a significant change in approach - (2010-03-03)
  [2662] Is Melksham public transport actually used? - (2010-03-05)
  [2664] Oliver Cromwell at Bristol Temple Meads - (2010-03-06)
  [2678] Reaching out to the community - a good case for support - (2010-03-15)
  [2696] Garlic bread without garlic - (2010-03-27)
  [2808] From home to Nurnberg - journey pictures - (2010-06-13)
  [2855] Train Services - Melksham to Bath and Bristol (and airport) - (2010-07-05)
  [2901] Ambassador or Anorak? - (2010-08-03)
  [2908] How Green is my train? - (2010-08-07)
  [2919] London to Calne, Corsham, Melksham, Bradford-on-Avon, Chippenham by public Transport - (2010-08-13)
  [2930] Walk - Tilehurst to Pangborne - (2010-08-21)
  [2931] Syncronise - software, trains, and buses. Please! - (2010-08-22)
  [2954] Railway meetings, trips and meetups this autumn - (2010-09-12)
  [2955] Melksham Railway Station - new information point - (2010-09-13)
  [2982] Travel, Transport and Tourism - A vision for Melksham, 2026 - (2010-10-03)
  [3006] Santa announcement, 5th December 2010, Melksham - (2010-10-20)
  [3017] Seventh day traveller on the six day railway - (2010-10-27)
  [3031] Get all your ducks in a row ... and they may turn into swans - (2010-11-06)
  [3033] Rail services back to Radstock? - (2010-11-07)
  [3079] TransWilts Rail News ... Melksham (Santa Special) Edition ... 5th December 2010 - (2010-12-04)
  [3080] Santa Special - rather more special than usual - December 2010 - (2010-12-07)
  [3111] TransWilts Link - Days out from Swindon to Weymouth? - (2010-12-28)
  [3113] Trowbridge and Melksham to Chippenham - more roadworks, even slower journey over the winter - (2010-12-30)
  [3114] Transwilts Link - both Wiltshire and beyond - (2010-12-30)
  [3119] TransWilts - some things to see and do - (2011-01-03)
  [3135] A time to be brave? We should ask for what is best for our area. - (2011-01-16)
  [3141] Wiltshire Rail services - a golden opportunity - (2011-01-21)
  [3161] TransWilts rail - what picture represents us - (2011-02-08)
  [3167] Can I take my dog by train? And other questions - (2011-02-12)
  [3171] Train and boat journey - the passenger accommodation - (2011-02-15)
  [3176] Comparing German, Dutch and British Railways - (2011-02-19)
  [3178] The cost of roadworks on the economy of our town - 1800 pounds per hour? - (2011-02-20)
  [3187] Past and Present - Melksham Station - (2011-02-27)
  [3198] TransWilts rail - coming together, wanted and needed - (2011-03-10)
  [3273] Wanted - a look to the future - (2011-05-02)
  [3274] Small scale improvement - big scale gain. And they CAN be done with local knowledge - (2011-05-02)
  [3318] Summer Sunday Trains - outings from Swindon, Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge and Westbury - (2011-06-05)
  [3328] Summer Sundays - days out by train from Swindon on the TransWilts - (2011-06-18)
  [3331] Comparing Alloa and Melksham - stations and services - (2011-06-23)
  [3336] Efficient travel - from Melsksham to Edinburgh by Sleeper Train - (2011-06-26)
  [3362] Swindon, Chippenham and Melksham to Weymouth - Sunday Train Service Starts - (2011-07-19)
  [3364] Dogs Legs on the Dogleg - (2011-07-20)
  [3370] Standing Challenge - (2011-07-26)
  [3371] From Wiltshire to Weymouth on Sundays - (2011-07-27)
  [3378] New product - ensuring that supply matches demand - (2011-08-03)
  [3392] What costs 8.20 from Melksham, or 22.30 via Chippenham? - (2011-08-14)
  [3403] Last chance this summer - Swindon and North Wiltshire to Weymouth by through train - (2011-08-22)
  [3408] Journey home by public transport for a Bank Holiday - (2011-08-27)
  [3410] A review of the Summer Sunday extra trains on the TransWilts line - (2011-08-29)
  [3434] Sundays - and over eating - (2011-09-11)
  [3452] Which or ATOC - who reads train fares right? - (2011-09-22)
  [3486] How important is public transport to people in the Melksham area? - (2011-10-19)
  [3487] Public transport - road and rail - (2011-10-19)
  [3493] West Wilts Rail User Group - Walk yesterday from Bradford-on-Avon to Trowbridge - (2011-10-23)
  [3501] Santa Claus - on the train from Melksham on 4th December 2011 - (2011-10-30)
  [3538] Santa Train - another successful trip - 4th December 2011 - (2011-12-04)
  [3550] Provide a useable train service, and people will use it! - (2011-12-11)
  [3564] I wish I was not a special case - (2011-12-29)
  [3565] What would an appropriate train service on the TransWilts line mean - (2011-12-31)
  [3579] Transport in Cambridgeshire - seen by an outside observer. What can Wiltshire learn? - (2012-01-15)
  [3601] Rail Travel - has it become more unreliable? - (2012-02-02)
  [3626] There is so much to see travelling by train - (2012-02-26)
  [3631] Getting around Dublin by public transport - some observations - (2012-03-01)
  [3642] Wiltshire Travel Times - Chippenham, Trowbridge, Salisbury and other places too - (2012-03-07)
  [3668] Kings Cross - new concourse - between Python in Cambridge and Objective C in London - (2012-03-22)
  [3671] Future train services in Wiltshire - please write in to support a better service - (2012-03-24)
  [3699] Bristol 50? Bristol 25? - (2012-04-17)
  [3728] The future needs for rail services to Melksham - change needed; current service an insult - (2012-05-11)
  [3736] Abstraction - (2012-05-19)
  [3761] Melksham - placed 2254 out of 2255. What can be done about it? - (2012-06-11)
  [3765] Christmas in June? Melksham hotel bookings and Santa train - (2012-06-15)
  [3784] Steam train calls at Melksham - Pictures - (2012-06-26)
  [3786] Improving Wiltshire Rail Offer - it WILL be happening - (2012-06-28)
  [3793] Excellent Rail News - what it really means - (2012-07-01)
  [3795] Like a bathroom company with no plumbers - (2012-07-04)
  [3802] What a difference a year makes - (2012-07-10)
  [3804] Scenes from commuting by train - (2012-07-14)
  [3815] The Melksham News - July 2012 - Part 2, TransWilts Rail, Wilts and Berks Canal - (2012-07-23)
  [3826] TransWilts trains - what the next franchise period will bring - (2012-08-04)
  [3860] Melksham to Steam in Swindon, by train - great day out - (2012-09-16)
  [3872] Trains across Wiltshire - an update on the TransWilts - (2012-09-28)
  [3873] Henbury loop, Bristol - a freight railway line with passenger potential? - (2012-09-29)
  [3879] Mixed mode travel - Information systems - (2012-10-03)
  [3881] Wiltshire Public Transport User Group co-ordination - (2012-10-05)
  [3882] Community Transport - Pewsey, Taunton, and the whole picture too - (2012-10-06)
  [3890] Here comes Santa - on the train from Melksham to Swindon on 2nd December 2012 - (2012-10-13)
  [3893] Public Transport across Wiltshire - a new map - (2012-10-13)
  [3899] Father Christmas to be on train in Melksham - (2012-10-19)
  [3904] Want to help us improve transport in Wiltshire? Here is how! - (2012-10-26)
  [3923] 35 minutes is only a slight delay on our railway service - (2012-11-15)
  [3937] Agenda for Wiltshire Link Travel groups meeting, Saturday 1st December 2012 - (2012-11-27)
  [3938] A long overdue meeting - a steeping stone towards coordinate transport user inputs - (2012-12-02)
  [3942] Santa Trip - Melksham Railway Development Group, 2012 - (2012-12-03)
  [3986] Rail services in Wiltshire - up in the air? We need to say what is best required. - (2013-01-20)
  [3993] Two trains a day ... how many fares to London? Guess! - (2013-02-04)
  [3994] On board Eurostar - a running commentary - (2013-02-04)
  [3995] Onward from Brussels - (2013-02-04)
  [4022] A request for all of Melksham transport groups to work integrated - (2013-03-01)
  [4040] Report on the last year - Melksham Railway Developement Group for Melksham Without Parish Council - (2013-03-11)
  [4080] Fancy a day at the seaside? Weymouth from Melksham - (2013-05-06)
  [4104] Weymouth vis the TransWilts - the day out today - (2013-05-27)
  [4105] Our day trip by train from Swindon, Chippenham and Melksham to Weymouth - (2013-05-28)
  [4110] TransWilts meeting ... - (2013-06-07)
  [4113] Wiltshire and Melksham Transport - what is going on? - (2013-06-09)
  [4131] West Coast (of Wales) - railway and stations in pictures - (2013-07-04)
  [4142] Passenger survey at Chippenham - report and pictures - (2013-07-24)
  [4146] A few more trains means a LOT more passengers. Why? - (2013-07-30)
  [4148] Special General Meeting, Adoption of Constitution for TransWilts Community Rail Partnership - (2013-08-01)
  [4150] Melksham Regular Public Transport Map - as at August 2013 - (2013-08-09)
  [4154] August Bank Holiday - day out from Melksham to London or Weymouth - (2013-08-20)
  [4159] People WILL walk to the station in Melksham, but they need a path and trains - (2013-08-25)
  [4160] Bank Holiday Monday - pictures of a great train trip to Weymouth - (2013-08-27)
  [4163] TransWilts Community Rail Partnership - formally constituted - (2013-09-01)
  [4173] Train and Rail Travel - who runs it and where do I ask questions? - (2013-09-13)
  [4176] International and off island travel from Melksham - (2013-09-16)
  [4185] TransWilts Trains - running a successful campaign talk - (2013-10-05)
  [4190] A radical proposal - a cheap and effective way to provide home to city commuter transport - (2013-10-11)
  [4191] Getting people to and from Melksham Station - not 20 but 700 times a day - (2013-10-12)
  [4194] TransWilts Link - meeting notes from 19th October - (2013-10-20)
  [4195] Booking for Santa, Melksham Railway Development Group, 8th December 2013 - (2013-10-21)
  [4196] Official - Trowbridge and Melksham to London train improvements - (2013-10-22)
  [4199] Draft Westbury - Melksham - Swindon train times, from December 2014 - (2013-10-24)
  [4202] Excellent Railfuture conference, but some setup lessons - (2013-11-03)
  [4216] Los Angeles - post modern transport system - (2013-11-27)
  [4217] New train service - launch plans and timetable links - (2013-12-03)
  [4218] A THANK YOU to those who have brought the new train service to fruition - (2013-12-06)
  [4219] TransWilts train services - up from 2 to 8 per day - (2013-12-09)
  [4224] TransWilts - first day pictures - (2013-12-18)
  [4226] Saturday train to Swindon - two weeks in - (2013-12-21)
  [4238] A Question series posed to Melksham Tourist information - (2014-01-19)
  [4250] Lacock Halt - former TransWilts Station - (2014-03-23)
  [4251] Broughton Gifford Halt, TransWilts Railway Line - (2014-03-24)
  [4252] Staveton Halt, former station between Trowbridge and Melksham - (2014-03-25)
  [4253] Easter Weeks - Melksham to Weymouth - (2014-04-02)
  [4256] Train fare look expensive? There may be a cheaper option - (2014-04-02)
  [4263] Chippenham - Melksham - Trowbridge, public transport over Easter (2014) - (2014-04-12)
  [4267] How effective is our publicity? - (2014-04-26)
  [4268] Metrics - historic and current TransWilts train use - (2014-04-27)
  [4269] Survey - Journeys - (2014-04-28)
  [4276] Swindon to Weymouth - by train, the traditional way - 2014 - (2014-05-12)
  [4289] It may be cheaper to buy in bulk - (2014-07-15)
  [4306] Four time target - good news. Four time prediction - poor forecasting. - (2014-09-26)
  [4312] Officially overcrowded in the first year - (2014-11-15)
  [4342] My first official measure - Passenger Entrys and Exits - revisited 9 years later - (2014-12-05)
  [4352] A long day on the trains, but a rewarding one - (2014-12-14)
  [4353] Celebration pictures, year 1 - (2014-12-15)
  [4365] The changing face of Christmas - (2014-12-26)
  [4367] A year of rail memories! - (2014-12-27)
  [4378] What FGW passengers want to talk about / and PHP programming to find out - (2015-01-01)
  [4397] TransWilts / Press and Publicity report for AGM / 30th January 2015 - (2015-01-17)
  [4425] A Welsh valley - what the transport looks like in 2015 - (2015-02-14)
  [4464] Catching up on a week all in a single post (?) - (2015-03-21)
  [4467] Neighbourhood Plan - travel and transport thoughts - (2015-03-29)
  [4471] Leopardstown to Rosslare by train - (2015-04-23)
  [4473] Fishguard to Melksham - third part of Dublin journey - (2015-04-25)
  [4475] New car park at Melksham Station - ideal for commuters from Seend, Hilperton, Yarnbrook and Holt - (2015-04-26)
  [4478] Home in Melksham to Gatwick Airport - easy by public transport - (2015-04-29)
  [4486] Newark to New York - the PATH suburban railway - (2015-05-05)
  [4495] Swindon to Westbury train services - Saturdays from 23rd May 2015 - (2015-05-17)
  [4496] Sunday train times - 17th May to 6th September 2015 - (2015-05-17)
  [4511] The Royal Albert Bridge as you do not normally see it - (2015-07-12)
  [4512] The Weymouth Wizard - Saturdays in August from Wiltshire - (2015-07-31)
  [4515] Why has the hourly Chippenham to Trowbridge train been withdrawn? - (2015-09-24)
  [4539] TransWilts public transport corridor - (2015-10-15)
  [4578] Rail electrification - far, far too optimistic so over budget and late - (2015-11-20)
  [4596] Call for help counting passengers - TransWilts, 12th to 14th December - (2015-12-10)
  [4598] 21 places to get your train and bus timetables for TransWilts - (2015-12-19)
  [4612] TransWilts - robust these days - no longer the first service to be cancelled - (2016-01-03)
  [4623] Rambling from Westbury - (2016-01-16)
  [4636] Rail user groups worried about what is happening on the buses - (2016-01-31)
  [4640] Who was Doctor Beeching and what was his axe? - (2016-02-06)
  [4665] Chippenham to Salisbury by public transport - what we have and what we could have - (2016-03-26)
  [4677] Swindon, Chippenham and Melksham - day trips by train to Weymouth start for 2016 - (2016-05-18)
  [4684] Melksham Station - as at May 2016 - Part 1 - (2016-05-28)
  [4685] Melksham Station - as at May 2016 - Part 2 - (2016-05-29)
  [4686] Melksham Station - as at May 2016 - Part 3 - (2016-05-29)
  [4687] Melksham Station - as at May 2016 - Part 4 - (2016-05-30)
  [4688] Melksham Station - as at May 2016 - Part 5 (services and prices) - (2016-05-30)
  [4695] Melksham Rail Development Group becoming Melksham Rail Users Group - (2016-06-21)
  [4699] Melksham Rail Development Group - a celebration of 20 years - (2016-06-25)
  [4706] Melksham trial train service is to be made permanent - (2016-10-02)
  [4726] TransWilts Partner Update for Melksham Area Board - (2016-11-07)
  [4727] Learning from travelling further afield - (2016-11-09)
  [4760] Rotary Talk, 25/7/2017 - (2017-07-25)
  [4764] Some thoughts on the closure proposal for Breich station - (2017-10-11)
  [4765] Breich Station - current pictures, and future options - (2017-10-11)
  [4770] GW franchise - my response - (2018-02-20)

Z300 - Politics and Religion
  [216] Cheap purchase - votes paid for with selfish promises - (2005-02-15)
  [257] Politics gets nasty. Must be an election coming up. - (2005-03-25)
  [280] Spotted - the local MP - (2005-04-15)
  [289] MP for Devizes, Wiltshire - (2005-04-23)
  [301] General Election day, UK - (2005-05-05)
  [313] Making bona fide international marriages more difficult - (2005-05-16)
  [326] UK Tax payment totals and where the money is spent - (2005-05-27)
  [335] Sad priorities - (2005-06-03)
  [377] A Strengthened City - (2005-07-14)
  [384] Managing conflict and disappointment - (2005-07-20)
  [415] Campaign Drift and efficiency. - (2005-08-15)
  [469] Yesterday was Kiss and Ride - (2005-10-19)
  [505] Would you steal ... petrol? ... a training course? - (2005-11-26)
  [539] rich and famous - (2005-12-23)
  [602] MP face to face - (2006-02-12)
  [607] On being British - (2006-02-14)
  [671] Both ends of the animal - (2006-04-05)
  [674] Wiltshire to get an extra MP - (2006-04-07)
  [682] Iran has enriched uranium ... - (2006-04-12)
  [696] Is than an uphill or downhill task? - (2006-04-23)
  [750] Almost everyone loses - (2006-06-07)
  [780] Separation and Integration - (2006-06-27)
  [875] Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones - (2006-09-22)
  [967] Realistic on line shoot'em up - (2006-12-05)
  [1003] Room at the Inn, Guy at the station - (2006-12-21)
  [1060] What a relief from the tax office. - (2007-02-01)
  [1109] False imprisonment - a contrast from the news - (2007-03-15)
  [1135] Government pressure on me to shut up after I make the papers - (2007-04-05)
  [1175] Local elections - choosing who to vote for - (2007-05-03)
  [1247] An afternoon at a public enquiry - (2007-06-27)
  [1260] An inspirational business talk from one of our prospective MPs - (2007-07-06)
  [1350] FSB (Federation of Small Businesses) Western Region - (2007-09-13)
  [1386] New software product for warmblooded programmers - (2007-10-10)
  [1526] Carers at work - court case changes - (2008-02-01)
  [1573] Budget tax increases hit vehicle market - (2008-03-14)
  [1579] Rome, and the faith of Rome - (2008-03-17)
  [1769] July child ponders on August children - (2008-08-23)
  [1872] Barack Obama wins US Predidency - (2008-11-05)
  [1881] Wiltshire Council says - part 1 - (2008-11-13)
  [1882] Wiltshire Council says - part 2 - (2008-11-14)
  [1987] One Cheer for Local Democracy - Asda in Melksham - (2009-01-11)
  [2012] The Wiltshire Police - (2009-01-29)
  [2028] Things people say on the phone - (2009-02-06)
  [2075] Supporting Parkinsons and Trains - (2009-03-11)
  [2178] Melksham Candidates for Wiltshire Unitary Election - (2009-05-12)
  [2206] Spot the odd one out - (2009-05-29)
  [2257] Ramblings on church and state linkage in Melksham - (2009-06-25)
  [2270] Wiltshire - a chance to improve life for everybody - (2009-07-05)
  [2279] Understanding the new local government structure in Wiltshire - (2009-07-11)
  [2288] Wiltshire Community Area Partnerships - (2009-07-15)
  [2353] All change - Wiltshire Parliamentary - (2009-08-13)
  [2640] How is your tax pound spent? - (2010-02-18)
  [2689] Can my dog eat potatoes? Doggie Dietary Research, and political sleaze! - (2010-03-23)
  [2712] A more informed decision than ever before - (2010-04-08)
  [2740] Melksham Hustings at George Ward School - (2010-04-26)
  [2752] Voting day - UK General Election - (2010-05-06)
  [2757] Bodicea, Lincoln, and our new MP - (2010-05-09)
  [2792] Should Government compete with private industry? - (2010-06-03)
  [2824] A pint of Black Rat, and a lazy barman - (2010-06-25)
  [2856] Two sides of the coin - (2010-07-06)
  [2864] Changing with weather and seasons - (2010-07-10)
  [2870] Old prices - what would the equivalent price have been in 1966? - (2010-07-14)
  [2948] Melksham shamefully makes the national headlines - (2010-09-07)
  [2971] Should the public sector compete with businesses? and other deep questions - (2010-09-26)
  [3051] Positively reforming the system - could it be done? - (2010-11-14)
  [3264] Alternative Vote (AV) - explaining and an example - (2011-04-25)
  [3313] What does our MP do on a Bank Holiday? - (2011-05-30)
  [3323] Is Melksham town centre dying? - (2011-06-11)
  [3325] The Olympic Torch, and Melksham House - (2011-06-14)
  [3438] Melksham to become a part of Trowbridge? - (2011-09-13)
  [3592] Are we one man, one vote? No, and we never have been. - (2012-01-26)
  [3676] Rising prices, changing habits and society - (2012-03-31)
  [3806] 2011 Census results - initial figures for Wiltshire. - (2012-07-17)
  [3845] Good cause giving - getting the charity beggars off the street - (2012-08-21)
  [3905] How should we choose our Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner? - (2012-10-27)
  [3921] On rememberance, on war, and on preventing the war cycle - (2012-11-11)
  [4079] Melksham Area - Unitary Council results, May 2013 - (2013-05-04)
  [4223] Democracy - alive and well with the beauty pagent starting up again - (2013-12-16)
  [4275] Eurpoean Elections, and other elections ahead. Some thoughts on campaigns and policies - (2014-05-08)
  [4286] Reaction in Radstock to new First bus prices - (2014-07-12)
  [4343] Politics and the railway the connects Wiltshire - (2014-12-06)
  [4354] Wiltshire Police - assuming someone is guilty just on the say-so of a member of the public? - (2014-12-16)
  [4476] Upcoming election - Chippenham Constituency - the major candidates compared - (2015-04-29)
  [4485] Misusing statistics? - the seedy side of election campaigning - (2015-05-04)
  [4489] Election results - what if we had a party list system? - (2015-05-08)
  [4548] Melksham - two small townships, or one big one? - (2015-10-22)
  [4597] Not standing as your local councillor - (2015-12-18)
  [4614] PC Plod - alive and scaremongering in Wiltshire? - (2016-01-04)
  [4625] Where does Wiltshire bus subsidy money come from? - (2016-01-19)
  [4720] Celebrating our diversity rather than discriminating for it - (2016-11-02)
  [4725] Writing Python 2 such that Python 3 is easy - (2016-11-06)
  [4729] The oldest part of Los Angeles - (2016-11-23)
  [4734] Thoughts on the new Blackmore Ward of Melksham Without Parish - (2017-02-22)
  [4735] Revisiting - should I stand for Melksham Without Parish Council in May? - (2017-02-24)


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