IT will be 30 years this month since Melksham residents celebrated the reopening of the town’s train station.

It closed in 1966 following the ‘Beeching Act’ which saw more than 2,000 other rural branch lines shut, as part of chair of the British Transport Commission, Richard Beeching’s plan to make railways profitable again, which were losing millions of pounds.

During this time Calne and Corsham also lost their stations, however Chippenham, Trowbridge and Bradford on Avon escaped having theirs axed.

The railway station had been part of Melksham since 1848 but the closure meant for nearly twenty years the town was without a service. But in 1985 it was decided Dr Beeching’s cuts had go too far on May 11 that year the station reopened.

To mark the event, the first train to come into the station was sent away in style. Crowds of more than 400 gathered to celebrate the occasion with balloons, firecrackers and a performance from the Corsham Town Band. Mayor at the time Maurice O’Gorman said it was an historic day for Melksham.

An initial twice a day service Monday-Friday from Chippenham to Swindon was launched as a trial and met with an enthusiastic response. At the time passengers were paying around £1.20 for a day return to Chippenham.

To celebrate the anniversary, rail community group TransWilts are inviting people who were there at the re-opening of the station to a reunion at a date to be confirmed.

Community rail officer Graham Ellis said: “Detailed plans for the day are still in preparation. but we do want to reach out and find those people who supported us in the early days - and of course we'll be delighted to see our current supporters and new passengers too.

“Were you there? Do you know someone who was?”

Thousands of people use the service of a regular basis and TransWilts are hoping it will continue to thrive. In 2012 around 18,000 passengers made their way from or to Melksham and last year the number rose to more than 183,000.

The station has also seen a number of new features over the years, including a cycle storage, CCTV, waiting shelter, notice boards and a ticket vending machine with extra parking due to come into use.

For more information contact Mr Ellis on 01225 708255 or email grahamellis@transwilts.org