Wessex Main Line

The Wessex Main Line is the railway line from Bristol Temple Meads to Southampton. Diverging from this route is the Heart of Wessex Line from Westbury to Weymouth. The places served are listed below.

• Bristol
• Keynsham
• Oldfield Park
• Bath
• * Great Western Main Line diverges to Chippenham, Swindon and London Paddington
• Freshford
• Avoncliff
• Bradford-on-Avon
• Trowbridge
• Westbury
• * Heart of Wessex Line diverges to Weymouth
• Dilton Marsh
• Warminster
• Salisbury
• Dean
• Mottisfont & Dunbridge
• Romsey
• * Eastleigh to Romsey Line diverges to Chandler's Ford and Eastleigh
• Southampton

Passenger services are currently operated by First Great Western local services, supplemented by South West Trains between Salisbury and Bristol Temple Meads, and First Great Western high speed express services between Bristol and Bath. Many services continue beyond Southampton along the West Coastway Line to Portsmouth Harbour and Brighton, and beyond Bristol to Newport and Cardiff along the South Wales Main Line. Strong passenger growth meant that Wessex Trains increased train lengths from 2 carriages to 3 in 2004, but the new franchise specification reduced them back to 2 coaches, with inevitable chronic overcrowding and passenger protests.

Chippenham branch

There is a link from Trowbridge to Chippenham, with an intermediate stop at Melksham. Despite showing strong passenger growth in the previous few years, the new franchise reduced services in December 2006 to 2 each way per day, at times barely convenient for commuters.

External links

• www.savethetrain.org.uk–Melksham-based campaign to maintain services on the Chippenham branch.

References