A NEW community rail co-operative is to stage a public meeting in Frome next Thursday (April 4) for commuters to find out more about its proposed services.

Taunton-based Go-Op wants to run hourly scheduled services through Somerset and Wiltshire from Taunton to Nuneaton by summer 2020.

Trains would travel through Somerset before calling at Frome, Westbury, Trowbridge, Melksham, Chippenham and Swindon, before heading into Oxfordshire and North Warwickshire.

Alex Lawrie, Go-Op’s managing director, will brief commuters at the Cheese & Grain in Frome from 5-6.30pm. There will be another meeting at Bridge House, Trowbridge, on June 6, from 11am.

He said: “As we are a co-operative, we want to engage with the potential users of the service early.

“We’d also like to hear from people who’d like to try out with the team now, with view to maybe becoming employee members with us later.

“We’d encourage anyone who’d like to find out more to come to the event in Frome or visit www.go-op.coop for more information.”

If Go-Op’s plans come to fruition, the co-operative would run two trains made up of newly-refurbished class 769 units to work a complex series of trips between Taunton and Oxford, where commuters can switch to long-distance services to reach Nuneaton and the north of England.

Go-Op would run five trips each way between Castle Cary and Swindon daily, including some in peak hours, and others that extend the day with early and late departures.

That would make a total of 25 departures a day from Melksham.There would be five departures a day each way from Westbury. Frome too would see a big jump in service levels.

Trains would have 250 seats, onboard catering and free wifi.