A special celebration was held at Westbury station in Wiltshire last Tuesday, 12 December, to mark the 10th anniversary of an increase in TransWilts services between Swindon and Westbury.
On 12 December, 2013, TransWilts services between Swindon and Westbury were increased in a joint partnership between Wiltshire Council, Great Western Railway, the Department for Transport and local users. Since then, they have recorded over one million passenger-carrying miles – which is the equivalent of travelling to the moon and back twice.
Attending the celebration were representatives from Wiltshire Council, TransWilts Community Rail Partnership, Melksham Town Council, Melksham User Group, and Great Western Railway, and a special cake was cut at Westbury station to mark the occasion.
Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Transport, Cllr Caroline Thomas, said: “This 10-year anniversary marks an incredible milestone for Wiltshire, as it celebrates a decade since we jointly invested in additional services from Westbury through to Swindon by rail.
“The Department for Transport said they would take over and operate the services if there was sufficient demand after three years. The services did so well that they didn't even need to wait the three years!
“This milestone is testament to the hard work of TransWilts Community Rail and our partnership working, and we look forward to the line serving the county for many more years to come.”
TransWilts Community Rail Officer, Sophie Martin, said: “We are proud to have been part of the journey over the last 10 years on the TransWilts. Not only have we seen passenger numbers increase, we are particularly pleased to have attracted numerous schoolchildren and young adults to the trains, many for the first time. We look forward to building on that success in the years to come.”
GWR Business Assurance and Strategy Director, Joe Graham, said: “We were delighted to work in partnership with Wiltshire Council and TransWilts Community Rail Partnership to improve rail links, and it is heartening to see them still proving popular with customers 10 years on.
“When these extra services were introduced the TransWilts became the fastest growing community rail line in the country – so much so that not only did the Department for Transport adopt the services earlier than expected, but we had to double the capacity by going from a single carriage service to the two carriages you see today.
“We look forward to building on the success of the TransWilts line and using it as a model for success on other parts of the GWR network.”
