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UK Independence Party |
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Straight Talking |
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TransWilts Community Rail Partnership |
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The TransWilts line links the major population centres of Wiltshire, from Swindon via Chippenham, Melksham, and Trowbridge to Westbury, then on to Dilton Marsh, Warminster and Salisbury with important onwards travel requirements from Westbury to the "Heart of Wessex" line via Frome and Yeovil to Weymouth. Services are currently sparse, just 2 trains each way a day on the Chippenham to Trowbridge section, but requests for an improved service are making ever-better cases, helped by the rapid growth of the towns along the line, long journey times by road, and increasing travel flows between major centres in the new Wiltshire of Chippenham, Trowbridge, Salisbury, Melksham, Warminster and Westbury. The organisers have moved from a national view in 2004 that 2 trains a day was enough to a view from Network Rail (in an otherwise conservative survey of the region) that an additional hourly service each way is cost-benefit justified.
The meeting, Chaired by Graham Ellis, was well attended and most informative. A steering committee has been formed, of which I am a member, and our first committee meeting was held in Melksham on Saturday 17th April. |
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LIBERAL DEMOCRATS MANIFESTO IS BASED ON UKIP POLICIES
Having already borrowed two of UKIP’s key policies the Liberal Democrats have now followed UKIP on transport policy by adopting UKIP’s plan to re-open thousands of miles of railway lines and invest some £3 billion in the UK’s ageing railway system. However, the Liberal Democrats will rob the money from the road budget to pay for it. UKIP will find the money from saved net UK contributions to the EU of £6.4 billion per year.
UKIP Deputy Leader David Campbell Bannerman MEP says that ‘UKIP is flattered that the Liberal Democrats are copying UKIP’s lead but we wonder why the Liberal Democrats policy nest is so empty. UKIP’s policy package is overflowing with potential and it’s clear that only UKIP have the policies to put Britain back on the road to prosperity.’ |
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UKIP's TRANSPORT POLICY document
http://www.ukip.org/media/pdf/UKIPtransport.pdf
This very issue is dealt with in the section devoted to Railways. UKIP would: Expand the rail network by reopening select closed or underused rail lines where there is a strong case, and implement an ‘unBeeching Report’ to identify strong cases for re-opening lines where there is a modern day need. We enthusiastically support the 'Community Rail' initiative and micro franchising on smaller lines
As the wife of a man who has to commute to London every day on the train from Chippenham I have a keen interest in rail travel although my love of trains was kindled at an early age. I often used to accompany my father, John Rudman, an electrical engineer with British Rail, to work at Bricklayers Arms in London where I used to watch the locomotives being turned round on the large turntable, rewatered and recoaled. I loved how they looked and sounded and when asked as a child, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” answered “An Engine Driver.” |
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For more information about TransWilts Community Rail Partnership contact Graham Ellis (graham@wellho.net) |