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.
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 is provided by the Wessex Association of Chambers of Commerce and Trans Wilts Community Rail Partnership. 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.
