HEALTHY debate sprung up at a public meeting in Trowbridge over the best way of improving and increasing the number of train services in Wiltshire.

Great Western Rail Service representatives held a Q&A session at the Civic Hall on Wednesday to discuss improving routes from Trowbridge and Westbury to London, better connections across the county and on campaigns for new stations in Corsham and at Devizes Parkway.

The 40 or so attendees, including town council staff, locals and rail user group members, all agreed on having more services between the above places and from Swindon to Westbury, Westbury to Salisbury and Salisbury to Southampton, but differed on how best to deliver it. That involved either splitting the Great Western Franchise in 2022 or not.

Town clerk Lance Allan said: “Everyone is united on improving the county’s train services, we just differ on how to go about it. “The town council supports splitting the Great Western Franchise to achieve these goals but we have been led to believe that there could be the option of sticking with the single franchise but breaking it down into single business units. This could achieve many of the benefits of the split whilst retaining the pluses of a single franchise.”

Graham Ellis of TransWilts Rail Group and Wiltshire Council’s portfolio holder for transport, Horace Prickett, were very much for a single franchise.

“Splitting the franchise means extra depots for extra sets of trains and a potential break down in coordination between various franchises and timetables,” said Mr Ellis.

Cllr Prickett added: “I don’t see the need for more Trowbridge-Paddington trains as the demand just isn’t there.”