Fares up by around 2.6% on 1st March 2021. This page being updated.
For early information see (here)
Travelling from Melksham to Bath Spa and Bristol Temple Meads, you can take any train, but you'll need to change at the next station - either Chippenham or Trowbridge. On your return from Bristol Temple Meads or Bath Spa, you will need to catch the correct train to Chippenham or Trowbridge to connect back to Melksham.
Fares 2020, Melksham to Bristol Temple Meads
Anytime single, £11.50
Anytime day return, £12.40
Off Peak day return, also £12.40
Off Peak single, no ticket offered - use anytime
7 day season ticket, £57.00
Fares 2020, Melksham to Clifton Down and stations to Severn Beach
Anytime single, £11.80
Anytime day return, £12.60
Off Peak single, £10.40 (09:09 train and later, any time at weekend)
Off Peak day return, £10.50
For Clifton Down and the Severn Beach line, change also at Bristol Temple Meads
Fares 2020, Melksham to Bath Spa
Anytime single, £6.80
Anytime day return, £8.90
Off Peak day return, £8.70
Off Peak single, no ticket offered - use anytime
7 day season ticket - £40.50
Which return train to catch back from Bristol or Bath?
On
Monday to Friday ... catch trains from Bristol Temple Meads at 05:46, 05:51, 06:39, 08:00, 09;04, 10:30, 11:22, 13:00, 13:22, 15:00, 15:44, 17:00, 17:45, 18:30, 19:23 or 20:00. Journey time between 39 minutes and 1 hour and 15 minutes. All of these trains also call at Bath Spa 12 to 15 minutes later.
On
Saturday ... catch trains frm Bristol Temple Meads at 06:40, 07:40, 08:30, 09:22, 10:30, 11:22, 12:30, 13:22, 14:22, 14:30, 15:30, 15:50, 16:57, 17:43, 19:00 or 19:57. All of these trains also call at Bath Spa 12 to 15 minutes later.
On
Sunday ... catch trains from Bristol Temple Meads at 08:30, 09:54, 11:00, 11:10, 13:00, 14:09, 15:30, 16:10, 17:30, 17:45, 19:00, 19:15, 20:30. All of these trains also call at Bath Spa 12 to 15 minutes later.
Engineering works often effect trains at weekends, and we recommend you check before you travel. Additionally, if there appear to be operational problems on the railway (lots of delays or bad weather) we suggest to ask at Bristol Temple Meads / Bath Spa which train to catch in case the local train to Melksham is running out of schedule or your connecting train will miss. Staff may advise you to take a different train in these circumstances, changing at Chippenham when you had expected to change at Trowbridge, or vice versa.
Other questions and notes
Is there a direct public transport service to Bath?
If you are travelling from
Melksham to Bath, note that there are three direct bus services as well:
• the D3 run by First, 7 days a week and into the evening except on Sunday
• the x72 run by Faresaver, Monday to Saturday daytime
• the x76 run by Swindon's Bus Company, One service per day, Monday to Friday
Each bus offers different fares, not usually interchangeble between operators (though some ticket products are) and not interchangable between road and rail. Passengers for Bath may find it more convenient to use the bus than the train, and some bus tickets (such as First's West of England zone at £7.00) also allow onward travel throughout the greater Bristol area - a really low cost way to travel if you have plenty of time
Buses can change at 72 days notice and we expect them to in 2020!
Can I use an off peak train ticket to Bristol Temple Meads?
Note that off peak fares to the Severn Beach line are lower than the anytime fares to Bristol Temple Meads, and that no off peak fares are available from Melksham to Bristol Temple Meads. So if you're taking a day trip to Bristol Temple Meads after the morning peak (or at any time at the weekend), your lowest cost option mey be to get an off peak ticket to Clifton Down. You are allowed to buy such a ticket for the longer journey and then get off "short" - in this case just to travel to and from Temple Meads on a Clifton Down ticket.
See notes under
local fares for extra notes on fares, and on how and where to buy your ticket. There are no advance purchase ticket savings available on journeys from Melksham to Bath Spa or Bristol.