Campaigner’s award for saving town’s trains

RAIL campaigner, Graham Ellis, has won a national award for his ‘Save the Train’ project, which has seen massive improvements in Melksham’s rail services.

Graham, who was nominated for Melksham News’s person of the year award in January, last month won a transport award from the Sheila McKechnie Foundation.

The award has recognised his dedication and the success of his campaign, which saw Melksham Railway Station go from being under threat of closure, to being the fastest growing in the country.

Passenger journeys starting or ending at the station have increased from 12,000 per year in 2013 to over 60,000 last year under a trial encouraged and promoted by a campaign Graham was instrumental in running. As a result, Melksham now has an extra 91 permanent services stopping in the town every week.

Graham said, “It’s a great honour to have been selected for the ‘Transport Campaigner’ award by the Sheila McKechnie Foundation’s panel of judges.   The ‘Save the Train’ campaign originated from a letter I saw in our local newspaper telling me we were losing train services because they weren’t used enough, and a feeling that the problem was lack of marketing and an inappropriate service, not a lack of demand.

“I was goaded into further action after being told by the Minister for Transport live on Radio 4 that he couldn’t run a train ‘just for Mr Ellis.’

“These days, the train service is up from two each way per day to nine each way on the Swindon to Westbury via Melksham line, and there are a quarter of a million passenger journeys per year on the line, with Melksham being the fastest growing station in England.

“New problems include the lack of space for more people to even stand on the train, safety issues at the station which was never designed with this many people in mind, and forecasts that passenger numbers will grow a further five times in the next five years if capacity allows.

“From being in danger of complete withdrawal, the train has now moved to being the most secure public transport in the town, and ‘Save the Train’ has become the TransWilts Community Rail Partnership, with a designated service recognised as one of 19 such special services by the Department for Transport.

“It’s not just about one campaigner though – it’s the three Ts – a good Technical case (operational, financial), Trust (between all the parties making it work) and Teamwork, with up to 80 volunteers helping in some way or other each year.  I’m very proud of that team – and to accept this award on their behalf.”