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

[whole diary]

[anthony215]

Nothing on the ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former TOC^▸ (Train Operating Company))) website and no paper copies at any of the stations i went to yesterday.

There is a campaign to  have more  services and stations on the Swansea District Line:

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2011/04/30/call-to-revive-historic-welsh-rail-link-91466-28608908/

[Hafren]

The new timetables have been at <http://www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk/Timetables/> for a couple of weeks.

The links say '22 May to 10 December 2011' but the South Wales booklet at least is actually for the summer period only.

The Saturday timings haven't changed as much as the weekday timings. This means that there are separate weekday and Saturday timings (especially on the Manchester-Carmarthens) despite operating to the same basic frequency, which seems a bit pointless. Given that the frequency and resource usage are basically the same, this seems like a somewhat unnecessary complication, although there are some advantages to keeping the old timetable on Saturdays. The extra Manchester-Tenby per the new weekday timetable goes right through to the Dock on Saturdays (not so much of a problem sending a 175 onto that pattern on a Saturday night) - good to see an extra through train running.

I note that the morning Carmarthen-Manchester is back to its old timings as far as Swansea, providing a more even spacing for Carmarthenshire and maintaining the connection into the 6.58, but waiting at Swansea for 7.03 slot as in the draft with the consequent uneven spacing for Pyle. (Probably just not the capacity to sit at Cardiff for 20 minutes instead of Swansea, as will happen in some of the later slots.)

It looks like some skip-stopping has been added for Craven Arms and Church Stretton to fill in some of the 2-hour gaps that were threatened.

[Jez]

Im guessing some of the timings havent changed on a Saturday to allow passengers from London trains connect with the Carmarthen/Milford trains at Cardiff? On weekdays with the extra London train it isnt so much of a problem???

With the Manchesters sitting at Cardiff for 15 mins longer every other hour this could have platform capacity problems at Cardiff. The Tauntons are going to have to make sure they are on platform 2 before the Manchester train arrives, or depart from Platform 0 or 4. Platform 1 needs to be free for the xx55 London trains.

[Hafren]

That would make sense. Another advantage of the Saturday timings is that the 175 will be behind the HST^▸ (High Speed Train) (as now) which will be useful given the daytime leisure travel loadings on a Saturday.

The Tauntons sometimes go from Platform 1 once the xx:55 London train has left, but it's very tight. Sharing P2 with the Manchester would be 'interesting', as the Manchester train arriving behind the Taunton would be in service, and thus remain unlocked. Usually when platforms are shared one unit can remain locked and just the front one announced until it's left; hopefully there'll be reasonable manual announcements if this is what is to happen.

A slight niggle on Saturdays. In previous years the 9.48 SWA^» (Swansea - next trains)-PMD has waited at Carmarthen for the 10.05 departure (through from wherever via Cardiff) to give a 5 minute connection. This means a more comfortable journey for Tenby day trippers, and a good connection for passengers coming from the east. No connection time is shown for Carmarthen, i.e. it's 5 minutes. In the new booklet now 9.41 leaves Carmarthen 3 minutes after the 10.01 arrives. So journey planners won't show the connection, and passengers from Neath etc have a long wait at Swansea from an earlier train, along with the long dwell time at Carmarthen.

In practice it looks like the 10.01 would be more than capable of arriving early enough for a 5 minute connection. That's quite a useful connection that the planners have killed off there. It seems to be because Kidwelly and Ferryside stops have been added to the express, giving them a third train in the space of an hour, in order to avoid too long a gap before the next train stops there. The departure from Carmarthen probably can't be any later to make the connection because of the margin with the up train at Tenby.

[anthony215]

There is a story in the western mail today about the fishguard service, including the possible of a tempory platform being used at Goodwick station.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2011/05/02/extra-trains-for-fishguard-which-has-no-station-for-them-to-stop-at-91466-28617659/

According to the journalists  the proposed timetable has at least 2 trains working to/from swansea, 2 to/from carmarthen with 1 terminating at Claberston road

[inspector_blakey]

Hmm. Fishguard town centre is up a steep hill and the other side of the headland from Goodwick whichever way you cut it. There isn't now and never was a station in close proximity to Fishguard itself. I'm not familiar with the location of the former Fishguard and Goodwick station but given the route that the railway takes into the Harbour station I can't see it being any more than marginally closer to Fishguard town.

[anthony215]

I  know teh council are trying to get a temporary platform set up like that at Workington north until the old platform is rebuilt.  The council do have a large amount of land next to the station which they do plan to use as a car park and   the Fishguard town bus service will also serve the station at frequent intervals. Some journey's on service X50/550 will also serve the station

[grahame]

There's an awful lot to be said for making the best use of resources that are sitting there idle for most of the time - with just 2 trains in 24 hours on the line.  But I have to say that the BCR^▸ (Benefit Cost Ratio) figures quoted in the article are pretty low compared to many other schemes, and I wonder what's not included in the story.  Perhaps the fact that it's popped up shortly before elections to the next Welsh assembly has some sort of connection here ... and I wonder whether an incoming government in Wales would be bound by it.

[anthony215]

Just found this which does have a timetable on it:

http://fishguardtrains.info/

[matt473]

I think the service despite low rate of returns is still needed as it can become a hub for transport in the far west of Wales. More small lines need to be looked at re-opening along with stations so that local transport hubs can be created where buses meet trains allowing for further travel. This of course requires joined up thinking. Also worth remembering peple when given a train service will probably use and exceed projecgted figures (Ebbw Vale for example) along with the possibilty that certain bus services that may duplicate the route no longer requires subsidies since the railway can replace it.

[Rhydgaled]

I  know teh council are trying to get a temporary platform set up like that at Workington north until the old platform is rebuilt.  The council do have a large amount of land next to the station which they do plan to use as a car park and   the Fishguard town bus service will also serve the station at frequent intervals. Some journey's on service X50/550 will also serve the station

Where did you hear that? As far as I know, my suggestion to WAG^» (Welsh Assembly Government - about) of extending the X50 to Fishguard and St Davids' (currently it's only Aberystwyth/Aberaeron to Cardigan) was not taken up.

[anthony215]

Was talking to someone who drives for ritchards down in west wales

[Jez]

Just had a look at the new West Wales-North Wales/Manchester timetable.

I notice its only until 14.05 that every other hour the Manchesters are departing at xx05, the 15.50, 17.50 etc are the usual times due to the hourly Holyhead service between 15.xx and 19.xx. So really its not as big a change as I thought with only the 07.50, 09.50, 11.50 and 13.50 trains waiting the extra time in Cardiff.

Overall an improved service as far as passengers from Cardiff-Manchester/Holyhead are concerned.

I also notice on Saturdays they are departing at xx55 every hour, making use of the fact there is no London train at xx55 on Saturdays.

Also the new 18.20 Holyhead isnt an extension of Swanline as originally advertised in the provisional timetable.

[Rhydgaled]

Was talking to someone who drives for ritchards down in west wales

So sombody at Richards Bros told you the X50 would be extended? That's interesting, perhaps somebody at WAG^» (Welsh Assembly Government - about) listened to me after all. Did they tell you any more details, eg. if it was extending to St Davids or just to Fishguard?

[anthony215]

Was told that  St Davids was being looked at but it would only be a few trips per day

. I will ask next time i see him when i am next in west wales.