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TransWilts Link - Days out from Swindon to Weymouth?

Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2010-12-28 11:22:42 - Graham Ellis

Fancy a day trip to Weymouth? Over the past few days, I've been looking at possible timetables for an improved "TransWilts" service - with a particular view to connections beyond the area. Call it "TransWilts Link" if you like. There was a very great deal going on in the five weeks before Christmas - see the speech by Duncan Hames (our MP) in parliament on 21st December ([here]) as an example, and there's a lot going on for the next five weeks too.

The draft timetable proposal from 2009, with some minor amendments to fit in with recent minor amendments to other services, is back on the table. And the GOCO proposal - for open access services from Yeovil via Oxford to the Midlands is also alive ;-) - see [here]. Working together, these proposals would make a significant move - taking us about halfway from where we are towards the appropriate service that's got such a good BCR (benefit / cost ratio) in the GWRUS (Route Utilisation Strategy.



Swindon08:20
Chippenham08:36
Melksham08:45
via "Heart of Wessex" to
Yeovil 09:54
Dorchester10:26
Weymouth10:42

Weymouth17:56
Dorchester18:09
Yeovil 18:44
via "Heart of Wessex" to
Melksham19:49
Chippenham20:02
Swindon20:19
OK - all technical stuff; why the picture of Weymouth? Because - with the proposed services from First - there will be excellent connections and we'll have a service that will be a true TransWilts Link, giving really good opportunities into, out of and through Wiltshire, as well as within the county. Here's the timetable - Monday to Saturday, year round, for a day out from Swindon (or Chippenham or Melksham) to Exmouth (or Dorchester or Yeovil)

I think that looks rather good - and it's just the first of many, many such options!

Update - June 2011. I have revisited and updated this page. We have a SUMMER SUNDAY service, very much along the lines suggested, and in runs on 3rd and 17th to 28th August. The trains will be through trains and I have altered the train times shown (by no more than 15 minutes) to mirror the actual new timetable. I'm not a great lover of going back and changing historic blogs, but have done so in this case to avoid confusion and people arriving at the station just after the train has left.