Rail group raises concerns over withdrawal of Dilton Marsh train

Members of the West Wiltshire Rail User Group Committee have raised concerns following the withdrawal of a peak-time service that stops at Dilton Marsh.

The 6.29pm train from Warminster was withdrawn by Great Western Railway (GWR) on 15th December, leaving a two-hour gap in peak train services calling at Dilton Marsh.

Members of the West Wiltshire Rail User Group committee have expressed disappointment, saying the service is used by commuters and students. They have called on GWR to restore the service or to add a stop to the preceding service, which runs through Dilton Marsh 20 minutes earlier.

“This withdrawal was done without any notice,” said Graham Ellis, a member of the committee. “It was so much of a secret that even their own poster team advertised the missing train!

“GWR say they have no intent of restoring the service. They have apologised for the incorrect poster. That does not sort out the inconvenience for students and commuters who used this train to get home, nor for shift workers using it to get to work.”

Graham said Dilton Marsh station is “no longer a halt in the fields.”

“It has a unique catchment of around 9,000 people, many of whom don’t have cars,” he said. “Passenger journeys have risen to nearly 25,000 per annum in recent years.”

The group will discuss the issue further at a committee meeting on 4th February and hopes to be involved in discussions with GWR before the May timetable change.