South Wales local services - Pembroke, Fishguard, Swanline, etc.

[whole diary]

[Jez]

Well Live Departure Boards show the 05xx service from Shrewsbury as running around 9 minutes late, but due to waiting time at Swansea it should depart there on time. So i think I will take my chances with it! It just seems a lot of hassle to get the snow off the car and then drive to the station in these conditions. Hopefully they will let me buy my Cardiff-Bath ticket on the Swanline train too.

[Jez]

Well it all fell apart a bit this morning! When I left the house the train was shown as running to time but when I waited at my local station (Briton Ferry) there was no sign of it. Waited until around 0945 then gave up. Ended up walking to Neath which took about 35 minutes and ended up getting the 10.40 SWA^» (Swansea - next trains)-PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains) service. 

The 0929 from Swansea was cancelled so the 10.29 was rather full before Neath and by Bridgend several were standing. I can only assume the Swanline service that was meant to depart Swansea for Cardiff at 0910 formed the Heart of Wales service as I think there were problems with the 08xx service from Cardiff-Swansea which then goes on HOW line. Thats the only reason I can think of why the train disappeared into thin air! I decided to go to Neath because at least there are staff there - there arent even any departure boards in Briton Ferry (yet some smaller stations like Llansamlet and Llanharan do)

It was touch and go at Cardiff whether id make the connection for Bath especially as I had to walk from Platform 1 to 3 (I assume it was late arriving on the previous journey so there was a tight turnaround hence departing from Platform 3.  The 11.30 Cardiff-Portsmouth then departed around 11.35, I think it was waiting for people from the Swansea train as they announced twice on the Swansea train the connection to Portsmouth. It lost some time between Cardiff-Newport but then made up some time and arrived at Bath around 10 mins late. Surprisingly the train to/from Bath wasnt very heavily used in either direction, it was a 3 car and quite a lot of people on board but lots of empty seats. No trolley service tho - do they not have one on Saturdays?  When waiting at Bath what would have formed the 1530 CDF^» (Cardiff - next trains)-PMH service passed and that was very heavily used with people standing. Again it was 3 cars.

On the return journey the 1637 from Bath-Cardiff was around 15 minutes late, therefore it arrived at Cardiff around 10-15 minutes late. I ended up on the 1804 Cardiff-Milford Haven service which was a 2 car 150. I assume this service was re started from Cardiff hense it being a 150 and already sat on Platform 4 when they announced it over the speakers. So guess there was problems on the marches line as well?

Im grateful for ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company)))/FGW^▸ (First Great Western) running an almost normal service during the weather, which is more than the local buses have! Thankfully I was able to get to Bath for what I wanted - just a bit stressed that I wouldnt get there!   

[anthony215]

I dont know why they wont put some of these information screens at the swanline stations. Pyle should have screens as frequently there is no way to find out if the train is delayed/cancelled apart from phoning national rail enquiries. the 09:45 train from Pyle is usually late and  most of the time i have gone to travel on it has been cancelled  sometime i have either gone to travel  on the 09:43 swansea service from Pyle and double back from Port Talbot or sometimes the 09:55 Swansea - Manchester picaddily service  has made a non- timetabled stop at Pyle @ 10:20.

 I know some passengers would prefer to have the train at 10:15 instead of 09:45 and considering the Manchester train on weekdays sits in swansea for 30 minutes after arriving from Pembroke Dock surely it could be timed to leave at 09:50 with a stop at pyle and allowing the 09:10 train to be sped up by missing Pyle.

[Hafren]

I wonder where that 17.38 175 came from? Obviously the 1900 fast train would have been that 175 as well then. That diagram would end in Cardiff. Was the 17xx Cardiff-Swansea service from Pad due to arrive on time before it was delayed behind the Maesteg train?

The Marches line was closed on Friday morning (seemed to be running later on) so perhaps the 175s were displaced and one ended up being available. When I saw the 1735 was being formed by a quick turn-back, I checked up on the 1748 in case the 1738 ended up being delayed; I think it had left Newport slightly late at that point, but soon enough to reach Cardiff around the time the Maesteg left. I don't know if it lost more time before Cardiff, or if they just decided to let the Maesteg out to avoid delaying it furtyher. WIth problems yesterday, perhaps the Marches had further problems today.

The Swanline service seemed very thin today. When I came home around 3pm, the up train was showing as cancelled and the down hadn't reported as leaving CDF^» (Cardiff - next trains) well after departure time. The first Cardiff-Swanline-Milford arrived at Swansea around 7.30, and the second one (to Pembroke) was cancelled. The 7.10 up left Swansea just after the 7.28 - perhaps just as well, because it's usually looped at Pencoed, and they probably don't want to operate too many points - the Stormy and Pencoed loops were barely visible this morning. I'm not sure if any Manchesters had any extra stops to compensate for the cancelled Swanlines - I didn't notice additional stops, but didn't particularly look. Other routes seemed to be running, but with significant delays in some cases

When I checked for hope of getting to work, LDB was showing all the early HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) as cancelled; I think the first one running was the 6.28. Not that I fully trust LDB; a couple of months ago when there was a bit of disruption I was on a train that was shown as 'cancelled' and it wasn't corrected until it reached Swindon! After the 6.28 there seemed to be an hourly service with the morning xx:58s continuing to be cancelled. At SWA^» (Swansea - next trains) when the 7.58 was announced as cancelled, they said it would start at CDF and connect with the 7.45, which was bang on time (a couple of minutes early at SWA as normal).

158 on one of the Maestegs today (perhaps the same diagram as the morning Chester-Maesteg where one might expect a 158?) and another one went through Bridgend at aroudn the right time to be the 1550 from CDF if a bit late.

Perhaps the Portsmouth gained a trolley later on. Thinking about it, I don't think I've noticed a trolley before Bristol, and not often after Bristol, but it's often too busy to pass through after that anyway.

I don't usually bank on the 9.11 recovering from delays. I'd assume it picks up a lot of passengers south at Llandeilo, stopping at most request stops, and it's easy to lose a couple of minutes between Llandeilo and Llanelli. It seems to have much less recovery time than the others approaching both Llanelli and Swansea in order to pick up the 9.11 path (with just the minimum permitted allowances, whereas the later ones have a lot of padding in the advertised times) and the dwell times at LLE and SWA are fairly minimal, given the reversal, although there'd be a crew change at one of the two, so shouldn't take too long to turn.

Re the 9.55 from SWA, it sits at Swansea but does connect with a later train from CMN - not sure how much time there is to connect but I think it's quite tight.

[Jez]

I tried phoning the National Rail Enquiries line when waiting at Briton Ferry for info on how delayed the train was or if it was cancelled - the automated voice just said that there were delays to the service!! I decided to walk to Neath as I realised even if the train turned up I wouldnt make the 10.30 connection at Cardiff so would aim for the 11.30.

The 11.10 Swanline was also showing as cancelled on the departure boards in Neath - that one doesnt interact with HOW either.  I dont think any Manchesters stopped at Swanline stations to make up for the cancelled services? The 10.55 Swansea-Manchester was showing as being around 15 minutes delayed on the departure boards at Neath.

There were lots of delays at Cardiff - the 11.20 Holyhead hadnt turned up and that starts at Cardiff, it was showing as delayed on the boards).  The Paddington service id got off at Cardiff didnt depart until after the Portsmouth train. They had said there was a fault with the heating in first class so perhaps that had something to do with it.

Ive seen trolleys on Portsmouth trains from Newport onwards, on Saturdays they often have "there will be no catering available" on the automated announcements tho.

The 1900 Swansea-Cardiff was a single 150 today so i assume the 1738 was also just 1 x 150. On Saturdays its usually 2 x 150. Maybe they used the other 150 to form the 1804 Milford service which would normally be a 175.

[Jez]

I dont know why they wont put some of these information screens at the swanline stations. Pyle should have screens as frequently there is no way to find out if the train is delayed/cancelled apart from phoning national rail enquiries. the 09:45 train from Pyle is usually late and  most of the time i have gone to travel on it has been cancelled  sometime i have either gone to travel  on the 09:43 swansea service from Pyle and double back from Port Talbot or sometimes the 09:55 Swansea - Manchester picaddily service  has made a non- timetabled stop at Pyle @ 10:20.

 I know some passengers would prefer to have the train at 10:15 instead of 09:45 and considering the Manchester train on weekdays sits in swansea for 30 minutes after arriving from Pembroke Dock surely it could be timed to leave at 09:50 with a stop at pyle and allowing the 09:10 train to be sped up by missing Pyle.

Pyle would definately benefit from having information screens. Its one of the busier Swanline stations and also has more of the Manchesters calling there particularly in early morning. Swanline stations seem very well used and could definately benefit from a more frequent service. If an hourly Swanline isnt possible maybe the Manchesters could call there on the hour the Swanline doesnt run, but the whole timetable would need adjusting then with them leaving Swansea up to 15 mins earlier.

[Jez]

The 0710 Swanline was late this morning and it was a 158 rather than 175.  I noticed a train pass around the time the Swanline would normally pass and it was a 150. This could have been the 0645 Swansea-Manchester running late??? Maybe they would change the unit at Cardiff unless they are short of 175s today.

[anthony215]

Its been  a while since a class 168 was used on the 07:10 Swansea - Cardiff swanline

[JayMac]

I don't think a Clubman has ever been anywhere near Wales! 

Methinks you meant Class 158

[Jez]

Its been a while since ive seen one on the swanline but it must happen occasionally as 158 cover for 175's and the first swanline is booked 175 as its an extension from the West Wales train.

Appears the following been cancelled tomorrow according to ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) facebook page

Due to severe weather conditions, the following Arriva Trains Wales Cardiff - Holyhead and Cardiff - Swansea services have been cancelled for Tuesday 21st December.

 

Depart   From         To          Arrive

04.25    Holyhead   Cardiff   09.18

05.32    Holyhead   Cardiff   09.58

06.29    Holyhead   Cardiff   11.14

07.50    Holyhead   Cardiff   12.24

08.05    Holyhead   Cardiff   13.17

10.33    Holyhead   Cardiff   15.18

14.32    Holyhead   Cardiff   19.18

16.36    Holyhead   Cardiff   21.14

 

05.10    Cardiff       Holyhead 10.01

07.20    Cardiff       Holyhead  12.09

09.20    Cardiff       Holyhead  14.11

11.20    Cardiff       Holyhead  16.11

13.20    Cardiff       Holyhead  18.16

15.20    Cardiff       Holyhead  20.13

16.15    Cardiff       Holyhead  20.44

17.20    Cardiff       Holyhead  22.19

18.17    Cardiff       Holyhead  22.35

19.34    Cardiff       Holyhead  00.52

 

11.10    Swansea     Cardiff     12.16

15.10    Swansea     Cardiff     16.13

17.10    Swansea     Cardiff     18.18

 

09.14   Cardiff         Swansea  10.17

11.14   Cardiff         Swansea  12.17

13.14   Cardiff         Swansea  14.17

15.14   Cardiff         Swansea  16.17


Looks like all the Holyheads and the Swanlines that dont extend from the HOW line.

[anthony215]

Surprised with all of the snow taht trains are even running on the heart of wales line. Are arriva stopping any of the off peak manchester trains at Pyle i wonder.

[Jez]

Tonight I think the 1755 off Swansea is stopping in Swanline stations.

Appears it is running almost an hour late but is 5 cars - a 2 and 3 car 175 together.

Apparently the 1900 off Swansea is running and to time - wonder what unit will form this since the Ebbw Vale-Swansea didnt run.

[Hafren]

Some problems today, especially in the evening! It looks like some of the Manchesters were making extra stops. Information on LDB and station screens was reasonable, but not as good as it could be!

In the morning things didn't seem too bad - no cancellations when I checked LDB, and the 6.28 ran on time (a couple of minutes down by Bridgend but it's not unusual to lose time at stops and then use the recovery time at Cardiff). The first Maesteg-Cardiff (well Ebbw Vale) train, which doesn't usually stop at Llanharan, made an extra stop there today, which suggests a problem with the 6amish Carmarthen-Manchester. The CIS^▸ (Customer Information System) didn't show the extra stop; it was up to platform staff to tell waiting passengers.

Coming back... a few problems. Handled reasonably well, but someone without LDB and knowledge of the area might have felt a bit out of their depth. Some Maestegs were cancelled, so I went for the 17.39 from Pencoed to Bridgend. This was a 150 vice 3-car 175 - don't know if there was a swap at Cardiff - but didn't seem as crowded as it could be so probably fewer passengers trying to travel than normal.

The 1738 from Cardiff was showing as cancelled throughout on LDB, but On time on the Bridgend screens, so I wondered if it had been reinstated from Cardiff and LDB not updated. But a few minutes after it was due (and had been auto-announced) a manual announcement was made to say it was cancelled and Swanline stops would be added to the Carmarthen service.

So.... the 1804 from Cardiff (normally 2-car 175, usually busy, often with some standing passengers) was covering for the cancelled 1738 (150, usually busy, always with some standing) and delayed 1748 (FGW^▸ (First Great Western)).  Because of bad conditions in the west it was to terminate at Carmarthen; the CIS showed destination as CMN but the auto-announcer said Pembrey as destination! LDB did show the extra Swanline stops, and showed it as 'delayed' because it hadn't recorded as leaving Cardiff. It actually came about 5 minutes late I think; shortly after I checked LDB again, and by that point it was still 'delayed', with a separate Cardiff-Carmarthen service showing as running, but without the extra stops showing for the replacement service. It was a 150, suggesting a replacement set... it didn't seem good when I saw that, bearing in mind that it was covering 3 services! It turned out to have some standing passengers, but wasn't crushed - a lot of people had evidently not bothered to travel. The conductor (the 'Sunny Port Talbot' one) announced it would be terminated at CMN, with road transport provided to Milford.

When I checked LDB, I noticed the 1755 up was making extra stops to cover the 1710.

Going back to Pencoed... a lot of 'Cancelled' on the CIS, including the train that should have left an hour earlier, which just clogged up the display. While I waited, around 17.40, a 175 displaying Manchester stopped on the up; it was running late so arrived I think not long before the due time of the cancelled up service. I didn't see what the up CIS displayed, but the down CIS didn't show any additional services, and LDB certainly showed no sign of any additional stops, which would mean unnecessary disappointment for passengers who are given the impression that there are 2-hour gaps.

[Jez]

Its lucky there are less passengers than normal travelling due to the weather conditions what with all these cancellations.

I informed 2 colleagues who were planning on catching the Swanline today that it is cancelled but the Manchesters appeared to be stopping at Swanline stations every 2 hours.

The 1910 was a 158 this evening. 158s have turned up a lot more frequently on the Miford-Manchester services in recent weeks I see.

Apparently Swanline Cancellations tomorrow as well, apart from those which come from Heart of Wales or West Wales.

Any major problems today? I made it into work today so didnt check live departure boards etc much.

[Hafren]

I ended up on the morning Carmarthen-Swanline today. I haven't used it past Neath before, so my main experience of it is overtaking it when it's in Pencoed loop. I was wondering what they'd do with it today, as it left SWA^» (Swansea - next trains) on time and the loops are still looking unused. I was waiting to be held outside Pencoed, only to find myself was pulling into the station. Passengers on the platform seemed a bit surprised to see it arriving early. It hadn't left when I left, so I assume it waited time. I checked LDB a bit later, and the 7.28 appeared to have lost 15-20 minutes between Bridgend and Cardiff as a result. (Left CDF^» (Cardiff - next trains) about 10 minutes after the stopper due so perhaps further delayed - possibly congestion). Incidentally, it was a 150 - there have been a lot of substitutions this week, as one might expect - and the Swanline stops didn't seem very busy. In some cases, no-one got on or off my carriage, but the front car looked perhaps a bit busier  (I was on the wrong side to see down the platform), and at certain stops would be nearer to platform entrances. Certainly much less busy than the one other time I've used it, when Llansamlet and Skewen were well-used. With so many cancellations perhaps many passengers are just avoiding Swanline this week, or maybe everyone was on the other car. The Swanline (additional) stops on the 1804 yesterday didn't seem particularly busy either.

The locals seemed to be running in the evening; the Maestegs and 17.38 seemed fine, but I didn't check the daytime Swanlines. The 17.18 Cardiff-Maesteg was shown on LDB as starting at CDF, but turned out to be a 3-car 175 as normal. Which was useful, because it seemed much busier than yesterday, with a long stream of people alighting at Pencoed, and a few people still standing, but with a number of free seats by that point.

The 1445 PAD^» (Paddington (London) - next trains)-SWA was about 40 minutes late, which meant it made a perfect connection at Bridgend! It seemed to have made it out of CDF at 1734, which kept it ahead of the stopper. Other HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) seemed more or less on time; from an announcement (wasn't really listening so not 100% sure) and hearing other passengers it seems to have been delayed by a fault with the set. It arrived at SWA just after the HoW^‡(resolve) train would have left; I don't know if there were any connecting passengers, but there didn't seem to be any announcements about connections, which doesn't seem too good, given that the service connects with Pembroke and HoW trains. Many TMs^‡(resolve) will make announcements about next connections when there are delays, which is important as SWA is an important interchange on the route and passengers would want to be reassured.

There were 153s in P1 and P4 this morning... I'm not sure where they came from or what they were doing! There was still one in P1 this evening, so perhaps it had been there all day. I thought it might be the 18.21, but it didn't look like it was in use, although I was focussing on going home and didn't look too hard.