Bank Holiday Monday - 27th May 2013
A chance to take a day out via the TransWilts line - from Swindon (08:35), Chippenham (08:50) and Melksham (09:01) to Westbury - change there for Weymouth, arrive at 11:03. Return train at 17:30, back to Melksham at 19:46, Chippenham at 20:01 and Swindon at 20:20. See
http://www.wellho.net/mouth/4080_Fancy-a-day-at-the-seaside-Weymouth-from-Melksham.html
Supplementary Information in support of Great Western Invitation to Tender (DfT, 27th July 2012)
A very great deal of background work has been undertaken (and there is more ongoing) with regard to the improvement of rail connectivity across Wiltshire.
This scheme is "at an advanced stage of development and has secured third party funding" - quoting the Department for Transport, clause 4.11.5.1 of the invitation to tender (ITT), and they are seeking an option quote as part of the bid. That clause refers bidders seeking further information to this web site. Some 17 Mbytes of background data has already been made available to the bid teams by the TransWilts Community Rail Partnership, but that was prior to the publication of the ITT. An update on that data (there is very little indeed to change) will be published shortly on the TransWilts Community Rail Partnership site (which deals withe the technical issues in detail).
Latest News
On 27th June 2012, the Department for Transport announced the approval and funding of Wiltshire Council's Local Sustainable Transport Fund bid entitled "Improving Wiltshire's Rail Offering". See the TransWilts Community Rail Partnership site for further details.
Fare changes just introduced have removed certain anomolies. The Anytime Single fare from Swindon to Salisbury on direct trains has been reduced from £56.00 to £23.00 with the introduction of a new "Via Trowbridge" rate. This new fare is also valid via Bath if you're travelling at a time of day when there isn't a direct TransWilts train. Please note that as of the time of writing, this new fare is only available from ticket offices / machines and some online booking sites (including First Great Western)
SUMMER SUNDAY Service
Last summer (2011) thanks to FGW and for the first time for many years, we were able to offer a Sunday rail service operating in July and August last summer. The train operated between Westbury and Swindon via Melksham and provided a direct service to and from Weymouth. Our thanks are due to First Great Western, Network Rail, Wessex Chambers of Commerce, Wiltshire Council, our business sponsors and TransWilts Community Rail volunteers who have co-operated to provide the service.
This trial service was a huge success - it showed that if you provide a useful service on the line with some (limited) advertising, people will use the product. We hope to build on this success in the next franchise with regular trains running on the TransWilts line all day, every day from the first major timetable change of the new franchise.
Due to the Olympics in Weymouth, FGW are unable to rerun the direct Swindon to Weymouth service on Sundays during the summer of 2012. In many ways, the 2011 service is a victim of its own success, as trains were heavily loaded and had to be extended from their initial planned length, with cost and logistical implications.
VISION
To provide a regular and reliable regional train service for Wiltshire that supports the needs of people commuting to work in peak periods, whilst providing an off peak and weekend service that supports the needs of Wiltshire's community as a whole and those of visitors to the County. The service should be accessible to all sections of the community and integrated with connecting transport.
OUR ROLE
• is to encourage local community ownership in the regional railway, its stations and services.
• to provide easy to understand access to information for both the Wiltshire community and tourists regarding the service and the timetable.
• to promote the use of the regional rail service in Wiltshire
• to provide an informed connection with FGW and other rail providers on rail matters for Wiltshire rail users
NEWS : The Next Franchise
The current franchise to operate the service on the TransWilts line finishes in April 2013, and a new franchisee will be appointed to run for the following period - probably of 15 years.
A Consultation from January to March 2012 sought views right across the South West of England concerning the shape of the new franchise and the new service level; dates following that
• May 2012 - invitation to bid published
• October 2012 - bids to be submitted
• December 2012 - new franchise operator (winning bidder) announced
Tickets and Timetable:
For Summer 2012, services leave Swindon at 06:12 and 18:44 (Monday to Friday), 15:18 and 21:08 (Saturday) and 18:19 (Sunday). Trains return from Westbury at 07:04 and 19:35 (Monday to Friday), 09:20 and 15:20 (Saturday) and 17:10 and 19:35 (Sunday).
INFORMATION
This site has been provided by the Wessex Association of Chambers of Commerce and Trans Wilts Community Rail Partnership. It is currently being transformed into a site which provides rail information for users of all stations in Wiltshire (not just the TransWilts line). Current TransWilts information is available here on the Community Rail Partnership's site.
All the site information is provided as a service to simplify rail travel for users in Wiltshire, it is for information purposes only and should be verified by the user before entering into any contractual arrangements. The site will be regularly updated but will not necessarily immediately include all or recent changes made by the railway operator or other service providers. We cannot accept liability for any costs arising from any errors or from use of third party websites linked to this site. Except for data collected via on line surveys, we do not collect or store information from users of this site. Whilst we encourage the download and use of the information provided on this site, we do retain the ownership and copyright in the information and photographs that we provide.
