Rail travel boost for Melksham

Rail travel in Melksham could get a boost from a train operator proposing a significant addition to the rail timetable from summer 2022.

The proposal from GO-OP – an independent co-operative society – to provide passenger routes between Bishops Lydeard in Somerset (a station on the independent West Somerset Rail- way, not currently served by the main or connecting lines) and Swindon, could “significantly” increase the volume of services at Melksham by a third.

The service will provide an additional six departures a day from Melksham – an additional three services to Chippenham and Swindon; and three direct services connecting the town to Westbury, Frome, Castle Cary and Taunton.

And the service will open up more interchange possibilities, making trips to Salisbury, Southampton and Yeovil more viable.

GO-OP’s operations director, Alex Lawrie, told Melksham News, “For Melksham, we are trying to compliment the GWR service that TransWilts campaigners were really successful in securing, maintaining and improving.

“We want to add another three trips each way on that route, which is roughly a one third increase in the service level. So more trains calling at Melksham. And as our trains don’t just go between Swindon and Westbury, they go on to Taunton, there’s all sorts of extra benefits. 

“There will be new interchange opportunities at Westbury; and trips to Salisbury and Southampton, that at present are pretty tricky, will become a proper service and people can make that a regular part of their travel planning. We want to fill in gaps in the timetable, and make routes possible that just aren’t possible at the moment.”

Discussions between GO-OP and the West Somerset Railway (WSR) could lead to a scheduled daily service linking the national rail network, via Taunton, to the heritage railway at Bishops Lydeard for the first time in 50 years. 

Passengers will be able to change there for leisure services to Minehead.

“The West Somerset Railway has always encouraged train operators to run trains to connect with the very popular heritage steam trains that run from Bishops Lydeard to Minehead”, said a spokesperson for West Somerset Railway. “We are at an early stage and will continue discussions as GO-OP resolves the many issues involved in running on the national network.”

The announcement follows the conclusion of capacity tests by Network Rail which have established that there is capacity on the network to introduce GO-OP’s services. 

The next step will be a performance analysis to ensure that as the trains approach Swindon there will be no risk to the punctuality of other operators.

“We have been working towards this point for many years since we first began meeting as a group of frustrated rail travellers”, said GO-OP’s operations director Alex Lawrie, “and for a while it looked like the pandemic might be one challenge too many. 

“We are very grateful to the volunteers and staff of the West Somerset Railway, and to the many rail industry experts, who have enabled us to bring forward proposals that actually exceed our original ambitions in many ways.”

However, GO-OP’s plans to connect Melksham to the West Midlands – which Melksham News reported on in 2019 – with a train service going as far as Nuneaton, via Oxford, Leamington Spa and Coventry, have been put on hold.

GO-OP’s chairman, Martin Bond, told Melksham News, “We were hoping to run a service through to the West Midlands but unfortunately the line east from Swindon to Didcot and on to Oxford is so congested we were unable to find a way through.  It is, however, still an objective. In the meantime we are starting with this truncated service to provide at least part of our aspiration.”

For more information about GO-OP’s plans, visit their website: www.go-op.coop