BOSSES at First Great Western says they remain committed to trying to improve their service through Melksham.

Following talks with local rail campaigners and West Wilts MP Dr Andrew Murrison, the company is continuing to work with Wiltshire County Council to look at options to enhance the rail timetable on the Swindon to Salisbury corridor.

Currently, just two trains per day pas through the Melksham part of the route and FGW chiefs admit this is "hardly an attractive proposition".

The times of the trains are dictated by the availability of train sets working the Swindon to Gloucester timetable and the rails company says it is investigating how to improve this position.

A spokesman said: "It is a difficult balancing act between on the one hand obtaining and paying for additional resources, and on the other deciding how best those resources should be used.

"Should an extra carriage if it becomes available be used to provide more services for Melksham, or to ease crowding on peak time services in and out of Bristol?

"We have already devoted a lot of time to looking at options for Melksham and will continue to do so. We have certainly not reached a conclusion that other priorities are more important."

The latest comments will come as welcome news to representatives of West Wiltshire Rail Users in Trowbridge who recently met Andrew Haines, FGW's chief operating officer to talk over all the problems associated with the FGW franchise.

Complaints include overcrowding, cancellations and fare hikes.