Rail cuts – ‘the community will not take it lying down’

A LOCAL rail campaigner is fighting to stop severe cuts to rail services between West Wilts and London.

Graham Ellis is fighting to save the direct rail service from Bradford-on-Avon and Trowbridge to London Waterloo which is being axed from December, and from Westbury to Waterloo which are also being slashed from eight trains a day to two or three; with just one in the opposite direction early in the morning.

“There are a lot of extremely unhappy local rail users,” said Graham. “Trains into Waterloo are popular with people in Melksham, offering much more attractive fares than those going into Paddington, and are much better for those who are less mobile or who want to go to South London.

“South Western Railway are proposing to end the direct trains between Bradford-on-Avon and Trowbridge to Waterloo completely and leaving just one train a day the other way and that’s before 6 o’clock in the morning. Passengers will have to change at Salisbury with a wait of nearly an hour.

“And Westbury loses all but one train from Waterloo) which leaves there at 07:50. That’s down from 5 per day pre-Covid.  The service to Waterloo will be reduced to just 2 or 3 a day from eight.” 

Graham, vice chair of Melksham Transport User Group and a Melksham town councillor, has launched a petition against the proposals which has already been signed by nearly 3,500 people. He helped organise a protest meeting in Trowbridge last week, which was attended by over 100 people in person and online.

“South West Railways and the Dept of Transport came along to explain and offer excuses and were given a tough ride,” said Graham. “It’s fair to say the community are not going to take it lying down.

“Deciding to cul services is a crazy decision when rail use is really bouncing back very hard for leisure activities and these are largely leisure trains.

“All we are asking is for the cuts to be put on hold for a year for a proper consultation. For goodness sake, look how well the service did in the summer.

“There are other changes planned in 2022, so this would be the time to look at the whole service.

“Even Transport Focus, the Department for Transport’s own passenger watchdog, has suggested that the service should be retained until properly consulted and appropriate alternatives provided.”

Graham is enlisting the support of local MPs including Melksham MP Michelle Donelan and South West Wiltshire MP Andrew Murrison who, Graham says are “both saying this doesn’t feel right.”

South Western Railway say the changes will avoid ‘duplication’ with Great Western Railway services to London Paddington while the DfT say the plans will make savings and make routes to London more efficient.

To sign the petition, go to https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/598397/signatures/new

Pictured – a public meeting organised by West Wilts Rail User Group earlier this month to protest against the cuts: Chris Irwin, chair or TravelWatch SouthWest (who co-ordinate user groups across the region) addresses the meeting while Andrew Ardley of SWR and Martin Pearce of the Department for Transport (seated, front) look on.