End of the line for Melksham’s Rail Link Bus – amid fears of further bus service cuts

LOCAL residents and transport campaigners are angry following the news that the rail link bus, which provides a bus service to Melksham Railway Station for commuters, will be axed from Monday 20th July.

The transport link was being trialled for three years but now the service is being axed half-way through the trial. Commuters who were being encouraged to use the railway network and Melksham’s increased rail facility, had come to rely on the service to get to their work and further education.

Melksham rail link bus currently runs Monday to Friday from Bowerhill, east Melksham, Melksham Forest and Melksham town centre to connect with trains from Melksham Station at 7.20am and 7.50am and returns at 6.00pm, 6.50pm and 7.20pm.

Community rail officer at TransWilts, Graham Ellis said, “It seems perverse to consider cutting a service that’s part of a three-year trial after it’s only been running 15 months, where strong growth has been exhibited, where the growth has been accelerated recently, where ‘the sky’s the limit’, where the planned alternatives are not yet in place and where central government funding was provided for the purpose of the three-year trial.”

News of the axed rail link bus comes as local people have been fighting to keep the RUH Hopper service and cuts have been made to the 234 bus service through Melksham. 

Furthermore, local councillor Terry Chivers, has warned that this is just the start of wide-scale cuts to local bus services as Wiltshire Council targets funding to save money.

He said, “The residents of Wiltshire should be made aware that we could be only months away from seeing cuts to our bus network. Not only in Wiltshire but right the way across the UK, the Conservative government is looking to slash funding to council-supported bus routes, not only in rural areas, but urban areas.

“If Wiltshire Council will be looking to make several million pounds worth of savings, it will mean no bus route that is funded by the council is safe. Clearly the first services to go will be Sunday, and evening services, but the cuts will be much deeper than that.

“Once again, the less able and the elderly will be hit. So many village shops have been forced to close due to sky high business rates, and very few villages now have a Post Office.

“Local bus services are the only opportunity that many local people have to get out and socialise with others. It’s time to say to our local Conservative Members of Parliament enough is enough.”

Speaking about the axed Melksham rail link bus, cllr Chivers said, “Local volunteers have worked hard to make our rail service a success, and Wiltshire Council has spent thousands of pounds worth of public money promoting this bus link, in the form of radio ads, leaflets, and painting the back of buses.”