Not treading water, but not risking the ship for a 0.5th of tar either
Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2013-10-06 14:22:23 - Graham EllisI'll only really believe that we have additional trains on the TransWilts line when the first one of them takes the crossover at Trowbridge and heads onto the single track towards Chippenham, and I'm keeping the morning on Sunday, 8th December 2013 free to be there to witness it in person.
You may say I'm a cynic to be so disbelieveing for so long, but that's no bad thing. A huge amount of work has been done, trains appear in timetables, staff being trained, marketing preparations made, financial arrangements in place, rolling stock agreed and much more. And the support is enormous - almost universal. However, there is a handful of final steps to go through / be signed off on, and until the final contractual papers are delivered and registered, there's an element of change that, somewhere, a heart could rule a head if someone's heart isn't totally in it - perhaps because their heart hasn't been there, or perhaps because they feel that the supporters are usurping their territory, or are getting too big for their boots. You may say I'm a cynic suggesting this, but it has been flagged up to me a couple of times in the last few days, and it's probably wise to take a less visible (and perhaps less effective) stance on some of the ancillary things around the probable new service.
First Great Western won the new franchise of 3rd October, and it starts on 13th. There were certain discussions that could not proceed to finality until the award, and there are other doors which I understand cannot be opened until the new franchise has actually started. There's an offer and signoff cycle from First Great Western to Wiltshire Council that was only able to start on franchise award, and should conclude on 22nd, and it's my understanding that there's they a requirement that the agreement be registered for the service to be allowed to run. That's not a process that I'm familiar with, but I am aware that such registrations can get pedantically caught up... witness (for example) the few days gap in services next month in some bus service around Bristol as a new operator steps into the breach where another has pulled out - see [here] - and the new operator didn't know (so couldn't register the new service) the statutory 56 days ahead.
I'm also very much aware that where we have been ploughing a lone furrow on some aspects, there are now professionals rather than community amateurs doing the jobs. They're highly trained experts, and we can help them best (and annoy them least!) by letting them get on with it but at the same time by filling in best where we can help, and offering them local information and intelligence where that might have a significant effect on what they might do.
So - I'm keeping the morning of 8th December clear. I've had clearance in the last few days to let Santa travel on the 17:30 from Melksham that day (it's a train which is already running), and I've been invited to a couple of meetings that are being set up in relations to (firstly) an official launch and marketing if the new service happens and (secondly) alternative bus arrangements which, I fear, will be a New Year start at best considering the 56 day issue. When an official launch would be, I don't know. Personal logic says "on the day the service starts, if it does". Wiser council may well come up with a different date which is more effective for the media, and for the launch of a campaign of information that's not going to get disrupted by the holiday season.