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A Question series posed to Melksham Tourist information

Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2014-01-19 09:35:09 - Graham Ellis

"What time are the trains to London?"
"07:20, 07:48, 10:04, 12:03, 14:30, 16:31, 18:48 and 19:47, Monday to Friday. 07:47, 08:37, 09:47, 11:47, 13:47, 15:21, 16:47 and 18:47 on Saturdays and 10:44, 13:46, 16:43, 17:30, 19:05 and 19:55 on Sunday. Change at Swindon; journey time around 100 to 120 minutes, change at Swindon."

"What time do they come back?"
"Catch trains at 07:45, 09:45, 11:45, 14:00, 16:30, 17:45 or 19:00 on a Monday to Friday, 07:30, 09:30, 11:30, 13:30, 15:14 16:30, 18:30 or 20:00 on a Saturday or 10:03, 13:03, 16:03. 17:03 or 18:33 on a Sundayfrom Paddington"

"What does it cost?". "
There are lots of different Melksham to London fares available depending on when you want to go and come back, how fixed your plans are for a particular train, how long in advance you book, whether you want to go first or standard class, whether you want the underground included. Did you want a ticket which also allows you to go via Westbury? How many of you are travelling as that may make a difference to, do you have railcards which are available to favoured population groups which may discount certain tickets, are any of the group aged 15 or under? or under 5?"

I understand that the conversation came to the conclusion that 2 x 26 pound super off peak returns via Swindon were required.

"Can I buy them [from you] please". "
No. You can book them online for delivery if you give five day's notice, or online to pick up at station but not Melksham with 2 hours notice, or you can usually buy them on the train. If the conductor's not able to sell you them on the train, you can buy them at Swindon when you change."

"You've lost me with all these fares and purchase options. Can you sell me two return tickets for the National Express Coach for London for Saturday the xxth of February, please?". "
Yes, and we're happy to do so because we get paid a sales commission which helps keep the T.I.C. running."

To be fair to the TIC, I think that the commission bit was thought under their breath!



For newcomers to rail travel, the choice of fares is truly baffling - to the extend that it's a major dis-incentive to the wooing of new customers. Arguably, it could be suggested that this wide range of fares is excellent in encouraging people who already use the train to spend more (at leisure time) and to move their journeys away from the peak. But taking a TransWilts view, I fear that the complexities in both pricing and then obtaining tickets have already lead to loss of potential customers that we can ill afford to loose. Gone are the days when the First Great Western Managing Director (not the current one, nor his immediate predecessor) told us that loss of customers in this way didn't matter because there were 2.5 more people in the marketing pool who were convertible to rail for every one they currently had.

Maybe I am making a mountain out of a molehill, but this could be the elephant in the room. I do hope it's not the straw that breaks the camel's back.

Even the railway companies themselves and their enquiry teams seem to get it wrong too often. This week gone, I did Melksham - Manchester (3 day stop), Elstree (2 day stop) and home. National Rail quoted me £197.20 as a combination of three tickets. I looked it up and with rail partnership help discovered that there was a return ticket at £104.80 that did the job for me. And that ticket was duely purchased, and accepted without question by all staff who looked at it on the way. It was refused by various ticket gates, but then tickets issued on the Melksham train usually require you to seek assistance to get on and off platforms.