A week ago, the Department for Transport published the Invitation to Tender for the Great Western Franchise - i.e. it detailed what it's asking a company (from the prescreened bidder list) to run in train services for the 15 years from July 2013. With some exceptions, the requested service level (numbers of trains) is broadly as at present, but with many of the tighter rules that were in the previous franchise specification giving way to a decision being left to the operator. Most of the exceptions relate to projects such as Crossrail, the IEP project of train renewal, and the Great Western electrification.

On the TransWilts line, train service numbers in the main document are "controlled" by the ITT Appendix (a), calling pattern at Melksham where 4 calls per day are required Monday through Friday, and a total of 7 over the weekend. Rather curiously, this is listed under "Heart of Wessex" - the Bristol to Weymouth line. That's as running at present - one more train per week than the contract, but there's no longer any statement at all about the particular times. The old timing rules, which were (I understand) designed to allow for return commuter trips into Swindon, didn't have that effect anyway, as they were met in letter but, alas, not in spirit.

What's very positive is the movement of schemes that have been going ahead - in Bristol, Devon and Cornwall helped by the local county councils there into the mainstream, and a request as a costed option for a much more appropriate TransWilts service which steps us along a very clear similar path. It looks rather like all our ducks are coming in to line, and that everyone is rowing in the same direction.

The costed option request for quote states:

Wiltshire County Council have been working to develop rail connectivity across the county, with a particular focus on providing an improved level of service for the town of Melksham. This scheme seeks to introduce additional weekday rail services, and reinstate Sunday services between Westbury and Swindon via Melksham. This Priced Option requires the provision of the following specification: Monday-Friday: six additional trains in each direction, one train approximately every two hours between 08:00 and 19:30 with at least one arrival into Swindon (Northbound) and Westbury (Southbound) before 08:50; and at least one departure from Westbury after 19:15 and one departure from Swindon after 18:00; Saturday: six additional trains in each direction, as per Monday-Friday with the addition that one late service must depart Swindon after 19:00; and Sunday: four additional trains year round, with at least one arriving into and one departing from Swindon by 12:00, and at least one service departing from Westbury after 18:00, and one departing Swindon after 18:00. Additional seasonal extension from Swindon to connect with a Westbury-Weymouth service at Westbury, before 11:00, and one Wesbury-Swindon service to connect with a Weymouth-Westbury service departing Weymouth after 16.59. Assumed start date: December 2013 subject to rolling stock availability. If rolling stock is a constraint, Bidders should indicate this in the submission and start the service from the earliest achievable timetable change date. Weighting: 100% Further information can be found at www.transwiltsrail.org.uk and from Wiltshire County Council. Because this scheme is at an advanced stage of development and has secured 3rd party funding, it may be the case that the current Franchisee and promoter are able to mobilise and introduce the service before the end of the current franchise. In this case a revised assumed start date will be advised to Bidders.

There are some very significant elements in there.

* The requested minimum service level is 8 round trips per day, Monday to Saturday and 6 (northbound) 5 (southbound) on Sundays. There is some confusion as to the Sunday spec, as the document asks for a quote for "re-instatement" whereas the current service minimum is 2 northbound (and no southbound) trains.

* It is conceivable that the specification could be contorted to still fail to provide commuter services - it's not watertight against a northbound service from Westbury at 05:30, returning from Swindon to Westbury at 06:15 meeting the "before 08:50" requirement, for example. But I believe that the commercial interest with an allday service running too has swung, and now points to true peak services.

* Sunday round trips are explicity possible (and all year too), rather than a very limited Sunday service providing only for long distance single journeys in the late afternoon and early evening as at present.

To some extent, I'm poking myself and saying "can I believe this?". We've had so many false dawns and setbacks over the years, we've been kicked into the long grass to often, that it's very easy indeed to remain cautious and / or cynical. But actually the service levels shown / suggested are slighly slimmer than I might wish, but never the less appear to have correcly taken into account much of the research, survey data and practical informaltion that has been generated.

---

"So what might a timetable look like?" ... and there you have the $64,000 question. The Swindon to Westbury section of the TransWilts line cannot be considered in isolation. Both Swindon and Westbury are interchange points, and there are lots of other trains around each of them, which have to be meshed with and connected with. And some of the TransWilts services may carry on beyond them. In detail ...

* Local Services from Swindon to Cheltenham currently intermesh with the occasional current TransWilts service; those services are expected to change at around 2017, when the local services on that line are replaced by through services from / to London

* Electrification between Swindon and Thingley Junction will result in a recast of trains over that section

* At Westbury, there's a huge question as to whether the TransWilts service should carry on via Dilton Marsh and Warminster to Salisbury (in which case it should arrive at Westbury approx 30 minutes different to the Cardiff to Portsmouth service), or whether it should connect into that Cardiff to Portsmouth service which would also serve Dilton Marsh.

* At Westbury, an important ongoing connection is to Frome, and on to the Weymouth line. That's another line where options are being explored, and the two need to be in sync. You may have noticed that the spec calls for Summer Sunday connections to Weymouth, and there are options to be looked at such as the TransWilts service being extended onto Heart of Wessex metals.

In theory, the services south of Salisbury could be provided in the new franchise by 18 return trips of the Cardiff / Portsmouth train, and 2 return trips to Brighton (which I think can now be off peak - logical for the longer distance traveller, and using resources which has been used for a peak service into Bristol). One of these services needs to run via Eastleigh, the rest via Southampton. That then leaves the South West Trains franchise to provide an hourly Salisbury - Southampton ( - Eastleigh - Romsey) service, the GW franchise providing the 2nd train in the hour, and the remaining "odd train" resources that are vestiges of the period before the SWT service was instigated being redeployed north of Salisbury. All rather sensible.

Back to my question "What might a timetable look like?" ... here's just one example that would meet the specification:




PAD - London (Paddington) connections. Then
SWI (Swindon) CPM (Chippenham) MKM (Melksham) TRO (Trowbridge) and WSB (Westbury)

You'll note 10 trains rather than 8 shown - that's the existing Cheltenham services which probably should run until 2017.
You'll note that the whole thing could be displaced by 30 minutes depending on what's happening South of Westbury.
You'll note a three hour gap in the middle of the day in order to ensure that peak commuter services work.
London (Paddington) connections shown are current services, and are NOT shown if they are overtaken by the following train in the opposite direction.
I wouldn't be surprised if there are an awful lot of scenarios floating around at the moment!


An example of what fits the specification ... Sundays:

From Westbury at 07:25, 09:55, 12:55, 16:55, 19:35 and 21:35
From Swindon at 08:15, 10:45, 13:45, 17:45, 20:45 and 22:55

The 08:15 from Swindon would carry on to Weymouth in the summer.
The 19:35 from Westbury would connect from Weymouth all year.

Two other interesting tables - the Melksham to Bristol flow, changing at either Trowbridge or Chippenham



All trains (Except footnote %) also serve Bath Spa

I can't stress enough - this is just one of a number of options that could be worked out / proposed - no more than a "demonstration of concept".
(written 2012-08-04, updated 2012-08-11)

 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)
  [1729] Back from the future - (2008-07-30)
  [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)
  [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)

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Forward to Melksham Community Apple Pressing Day

Traversing a directory in Perl
Training courses - rest of 2012, 2013 and January 2014
Pimms and Croquet in Edwardian Melksham - 8th September 2012 - Food Festival Event
Melksham Community Apple Pressing Day
TransWilts trains - what the next franchise period will bring
Well House Manor - direct hotel bookings help us improve the customer experience
Planned for a quiet period during the Olympics - but it is far from that!
Know Python or PHP? Want to learn Perl too?
Town Clean - Melksham
Well House Manor at Dawn ... and later in the day