Last year, 40% of our customers used the train. This year, only one group of 3 customers has doen so from Melksham, waiting around for the 19:50 on a Friday evening (would have left on the busy 17:02 last year).

I've drawn up a "train v bus" schedule for the main cross of routes (Bath to Devizes and Chippenham to Frome) that intersects in Melksham - added the trains in too. It makes interesting reading:

http://www.wellho.net/demo/bustimes.php

 
Indeed , the state of public transport apppears to be worsening down Portsmouth way....

http://www.thenews.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleID=2137194&SectionID=455

http://www.thenews.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?SectionID=455&ArticleID=2088725

http://www.thenews.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?SectionID=455&ArticleID=2132952

 
Here is a cautionary tale from my part of the world (link below.)
http://www.portsmouthtoday.co.uk/ViewArticle.aspx?SectionID=455&ArticleID=2130801

 
Bristol Evening Post Top Story (20/02/2007 , link below.)
http://thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=144913&command=displayContent&sourceNode=200267&home=yes&more_nodeId1=144916&contentPK=16689462

"The Government has already agreed in principal to supply the ^42m funding for the GBBN but will only sign it off once it has seen detailed plans of how it will be spent."

"These plans have now been prepared and Bristol City Council's cabinet will meet on Thursday to approve them."

"Once the money has been allocated, the city council will take ^11m of the GBBN funding for its part of the project and will add ^9m from its own coffers to enable the ^20m plans for the city to go ahead."

 
A Property expert claims plans for showcase bus routes will not solve Bristol's traffic problems (link below.)
http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=145365&command=displayContent&sourceNode=145191&contentPK=16666929&folderPk=83726&pNodeId=144922

Andrew Hardwick , president of Bristol Property Agents Association , said the ^42 million grant awarded to the four former Avon councils for 10 new routes would be better spent on other projects.

Mr Hardwick favours a "multi-level" solution embracing rail travel and improving journey times for car drivers. He said: "What I call the 'easy wins' have got to be achieved - like opening up the rail line to Portishead, and clearing traffic lights where junctions are snarled up."

 
Bus and rail travel work best together when the service is joined-up and well thought out. Despite being in an excellent position to do this locally, First don't seem to be interested in the business benefits of improving the links. My daily Highbridge-Weston commute takes 10 minutes by rail, but 45 minutes by bus. However, bus services to the railway station at Highbridge begin at 09:00 and finish before 17:00. I'm not naive enough to expect PTE-style frequencies here in 'the sticks' but some simple thought could produce a very usable and efficient local network.

 
Personal view - there is a place for bus AND there is a place for train.

I can catch the bus from right outside the hotel I'm working in to the centre of Bath - an hourly service and it works well, getting me there in 35 to 40 minutes. Good; and by train that would be a walk to the staion, and intermediate change (IF we had a decent service left - new topic) and I would end up taking longer.

But if I want to go a bit further - Swindon or London - the metrics change.   Swindon is 25 minutes by train, but over an hour by a bus /bus or bus / train combo.   And the passenger flows from Melksham / West Wilts are such that the train is the sensible option.

London - I give you 3.5 hours by "express" bus or 1.5 hours by train.  And, for someone for whom there aren't enough hours in the day, I rest my case in elegant simplicity.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the bus outside here integrated with the train - went via the station and connected.  You would think it could be done as they're all run by First, but perhaps that's too much to ask for?

 
Here is a link to a diagram showing journey times between Wiltshire towns and Bath by train and by bus.
http://www.savethetrain.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=588.msg1757#msg1757

Integrated transport for Melksham? (link below.)
http://www.savethetrain.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=424.msg1249#msg1249

Train service cuts / buses for large new housing developments? (link below.)
http://www.savethetrain.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=550.msg1610#msg1610