Getting the train to home games - and away of the summer

[grahame]

Hi ... and a big THANK YOU to all the Town supporters from Westbury / Trowbridge / Melksham who have been using the new TransWits train service (introduced in the middle of last season) to get to the County Ground.  Services will be running all next season - timetable to December is at http://www.twcrp.org.uk/timetable.html and will only change a little if at all for the rest of the season.   Any questions / issues, please let me know - I'm one of the Community Rail team - a volunteer living in Melksham, and your use of the service and feedback are valuable to us.



The trains still run all through the summer ... and they go "the other way" too.   If you fancy a day at the seaside (in Weymouth),  the train from Swindon at 08:36 on Saturday or 09:26 on Sunday (Chippenham 15 minutes later, Melkdham 25 minutes later) / change at Westbury gets you to Weymouth in the late morning.  Day return fare £16.50 / group of three or more, 34% discount.  No need to book ahead - buy your tickets on the day.

Return train to Melksham at 16:08 on Saturday, 17:56 on Sunday ... extra later services (with connections at Bath Spa) for Chippenham and Swindon.

P.S. The family will love it too 

[ronnie21]

Graham, I tried to get tickets on the day for 2 adults and 2 children and was told at Swindon that they have to be booked in advance to get the discount!!  We drove to W-s-M instead!!

[grahame]

Graham, I tried to get tickets on the day for 2 adults and 2 children and was told at Swindon that they have to be booked in advance to get the discount!!  We drove to W-s-M instead!!

"Who told you THAT?" 

They should have sold you a GroupSave 3 on the day - 3 tickets (for any age) with a 34% discount (10.90 each), plus an extra child's ticket at 50% discount = £40.95.  Available on the day at the ticket office, or the ticket machine.

If you had each bought separate tickets, the cost would be 2 adults at 16.50 each and 2 children at 8.25 each - total £49.50

Advance tickets (the only ones that can't be bought on the day) are available for in limited numbers for single longer distance journeys on specific trains - good for away games that aren't local derbys.  Weymouth isn't far enough from Swindon for them to be available, and in any case you get such a good discount on the return half of a day return that a "day return" ticket is often better value.

If you let me know the time / date you tried to buy the tickets, let me know and I will ask my contacts why.   Chances are it was a mistake by the ticket seller (there are far too many types of tickets).  Can't go back in time and sort your day out (hope you enjoyed Weston!)  but we can get any problems fixed for others.

[ronnie21]

Seems like you need to sort out the ticket office at Swindon Station, this was about three weeks ago - just after the publicity in Swindon Advertiser - and we got there about 9 am to catch the early train.  Went back home and got the car, collected the grandchildren and wife from station and tootled off to Weston for the day.  Their loss, not ours, but at you so rightly point out there are far too many of these types of tickets - it would appear their own staff do not know!!!

[Ardiles]

Makes a nice change...opening new lines/services, rather than closing them.

[grahame]

Makes a nice change...opening new lines/services, rather than closing them.

It's good ... and I think very much the direction for the future.    Which is why there are a few teething problems such as Ronnie21's - we've had a couple of others which have been sorted out / not repeated as we all learn, and FGW at  a management level really want this to work and are being very helpful - information that perhaps was missed for staff when the new services went round can be sent round, for example.   Updating the ticket systems to be simpler is a whole different kettle of fish - a nationwide problem and we don't have a cat in h***'s chance of sorting it out without political support - which we won't get ... because it would be a vote looser.

Anyway, Ronnie and everyone - do try it [again] please 

[Flashheart]

Fuck the trains.

Grahame, what's your favourite cheese?

[Talk Talk]

Hello Grahame

I have been following the campaign on your forum for a few years now and are very happy for your success. I use the Trans Wilts as often as I can as an alternative to going via Bristol. The trip up from Westbury to Swindon is ace.

I think you really do need to push the Weymouth away day opportunity.

Best of luck, will keep using it.

[grahame]

Fuck the trains.

Grahame, what's your favourite cheese?

Always found the trains hard to do that to. 

    <- Cheesy grin

I have been following the campaign on your forum for a few years now and are very happy for your success. I use the Trans Wilts as often as I can as an alternative to going via Bristol. The trip up from Westbury to Swindon is ace.

Lots of options via Westbury ... people mostly go there to change; some excellent connections to Taunton and the West, Southampton, and Yeovil (which should give a couple of very busy days next season!).   Being above Exeter and Plymouth, less call to head to the far west.

I think you really do need to push the Weymouth away day opportunity.

We're telling people, but need to be careful not to oversell.   As a campaigning tool, filling a train beyond capacity gets you noticed (and actually helps get changes like we've had), but as a customer relation thing once the service is there, it's something of an own goal to have people turn up and find the train's so full they can't get on.   We haven't scored an own goal yet.

[janaage]

Day trip to Weymouth on the train sounds like a great day out. You've just filled a summer's Saturday for us and the kids. Cheers Grahame.

[@mwooly63]

Yeovil (which should give a couple of very busy days next season!). 

Pity when we are away the last train from yeovil is just before 4 ( according to the timetable above )

[Reg Smeeton]

Day trip to Weymouth on the train sounds like a great day out. You've just filled a summer's Saturday for us and the kids. Cheers Grahame.

Ah the days of the Weymouth Wizard, which used to be put on by BR in the early 80's....direct from Swindon to Weymouth, during the school holiday. Always used to be chocker with kids with buckets and spades. Thatcher axed it 

[ronnie21]

Ah the days of the Weymouth Wizard, which used to be put on by BR in the early 80's....direct from Swindon to Weymouth, during the school holiday. Always used to be chocker with kids with buckets and spades. Thatcher axed it 

Great days Reg, guess I just wanted to re-live some of them when I offered to take two of the grandkids to Weymouth for the day!!  They enjoyed Weston though, even if I didn't!!!

[THE FLASH]

Great service for the Warminster boys....trains to Swindon at last.

[Reg Smeeton]

Great days Reg, guess I just wanted to re-live some of them when I offered to take two of the grandkids to Weymouth for the day!!  They enjoyed Weston though, even if I didn't!!!

As long as the kids enjoyed it Ronnie....did they get a donkey ride?