Heard, yes. Considered, no. The case for the train.
Archive - Originally posted on "The Horse's Mouth" - 2006-07-30 19:14:38 - Graham Ellis
Last Friday brought the publication of the 'final' timetable for trains through Melksham from December 2006.
Regular readers to this column will know that I've been hosting a web site to retain the service at its current level (5 each way daily) or, better, to improve it to 8 a day. But the threat all along, and to be honest the most likely outcome once you got a stupid decision (IMHO) made by a Whitehall department was of just 2 a day. Alas, that's the outcome we have.
I set down my objectives at the start of the campaign to get the Melksham / TransWilts case heard and considered properly. I feel that, to date, I've scored 1 out of 2.
For sure, the case is being heard and the word Melksham no longer draws the comment "where on earth is THAT?" from the Railway Mandarins. I recognise First Great Western's MD and senior staff on site (and they recognise me), all four MPs who represent constituencies on the line spoke in Westminster on our behalf, to a transport minister who avoided the questions. The shadow transport secretary was here earlier this month to add his support, and I've been on Radio 4 a couple of times and even on BBC1 the other day.
But like I say, I've only scored 1 out of 2 so far. I came into this business late - after the initial decision had been taken and so it was at a point where any change would be embarrasing to the decision maker. I've tried to provide them with a neat "win-win" scenario, as more recent evidence that they initially used is now available, and shows a rapidly growing service. Alas, I have only scored 1 out of 2 though - as late as 20th June, Derek Twigg, minister at the Department for Transport sent me a letter quoting the same old (now very old) and discredited figures. So it remains that the case has not been considered properly.
Where now? There was a landmark court decision at the tail of last week too, concerning Open Access train operations. Basically, it leaves a much easier route open now for others to be invited in to run train services that aren't otherwise offered under a franchise. And I've learnt so much that I feel quite confident in the case that I've made. If First and the DfT won't consider, perhaps National Express, Great Central, Stagecoach, Arriva or another company of that type will ... and they'll see what an excellent little opportunity there is for them in our neck of the woods.
And I'm far from dis-spirited. Even if it comes to nothing, I've made some great friends, I've learnt a huge amount about railways and railway operation, I've met some senior politicians and actaully have a higher regard for them than I did even a few months back .... and I've had a lot of fun too. Of course, from the business side, our own contingency plans are well in place. With 40% of course delegates arriving by public transport, they need to be, and it's not going to be JUST making the best of a bad job. No - we'll turn the outcome, however it might be, into a positive.
And, by the way, never say "die" until the last trains' run. The Looe branch in Cornwall was just 2 weeks from closure under the Beeching plan when it was pulled back. That was 40 years ago.