LOCAL people could soon get more say in how their railway services are run as the Government considers plans to hand responsibility for rail lines over to local experts.
Rail minister and MP for Devizes, Claire Perry, has suggested designating the 32-mile route between Westbury and Swindon, known as the TransWilts line, as a community rail service.
This would give the TransWilts Community Rail Partnership (CRP) – a working group including local transport campaigners, Wiltshire Council, and rail users – the opportunity to design train services to best suit local people. The group would also be able to improve stations and facilities on the line.
Passenger services would still be operated by commercial companies like Great Western Railway.
Community rail officer for TransWilts CRP, Graham Ellis said, “This move would make the TransWilts line more secure and more open to ongoing development. Community involvement like this has proven its worth elsewhere and here during the service being trialled at the moment.
“It will give blessing to the partnership and to future suggestions that might need central government support, such as train and bus ticketing and connections, and a couple of minor timing adjustments which would make a massive difference.
“Cementing a permanent service will allow local people to plan much more securely for commuting to work or education, and could help encourage people to move to Westbury or go there to work.”
It is hoped that handing the responsibility to the CRP would help increase passenger numbers, improve connectivity to key destinations and ultimately boost the local economy.
Rail minister Claire Perry said, “I know how important this line is to local communities in Wiltshire, and it’s right that passengers have a bigger say in shaping its future.
“By designating the TransWilts line as a community rail service, we can breathe new life into this route, ensure its long term future, and improve connections between Swindon that will mean better journeys for customers and promote local economic growth.”
19 rail lines around the country have been designated by government as community lines since 2005, along with a further 21 as community rail services since 2005. In the south-west these include the Heart of Wessex line (Bristol to Weymouth) and Avocet line (Exeter St Davids to Exmouth).
To find out more about the Government proposal visit:
www.gov.uk/government/consultations/transwilts-line-community-rail-designation
For more information about the TransWilts CRP go to: www.twcrp.org.uk
