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More services on Cambrian rail lines in offing

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Greenback

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If I understand the story correctly, they seem to be saying that any extra services will not start until 2013?
 

Greenback

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Its all speculation, Eryl Crump, a rail fan who wrote the story, is just reminding politicians, also it could not occur prior to 2013, no spare 158s or staff & importantly no WG dosh to fund it.


Bob

It's a bit depressing to think it will be (at least) another year away.
 

Greenback

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That is almost as long as the East - West rail link restoration has been on the table in England!
 

merlodlliw

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Yes next month sees the 12th anniversary of it being promised.

I expect noises from The Minister, but to even consider a start from say May/Dec 2013 would need commitment in the Transport Review to be announced around now & a review of different timetables other than Birmingham to Aberyswyth, dont hold your breath Gareth, South Wales A.Ms(Carls own party) are making a lot of shouts for improved services according to my contacts.
12 years is a long time of promises, so much for Cardiff Bays interest.

Bob
 

Greenback

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At this rate of progress I expect Gowerton re-doubling to be completed no earlier than 2030.
 

Gareth Marston

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The Aberystwyth rag - Cambrian News reports this week the hourly as being done deal for "new year" following meeting of local (non Labour- Labour lose their deposit in Mid Wales) AM's with station reopening campaigners from Bow St and Carno at Senedd this week. Report doesn't say anyone from WG attended.

Extra £ for WAG 1 & 2 till March suggests no money for anything else.
 

ChiefPlanner

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At this rate of progress I expect Gowerton re-doubling to be completed no earlier than 2030.

As the bridge needs rebuilding - and as others are working for it - even in England , I hope you are wrong.

In any case - when done - a pint or 2 will be appropriate.
 

Gareth Marston

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The Aberystwyth rag - Cambrian News reports this week the hourly as being done deal for "new year" following meeting of local (non Labour- Labour lose their deposit in Mid Wales) AM's with station reopening campaigners from Bow St and Carno at Senedd this week. Report doesn't say anyone from WG attended.

Extra £ for WAG 1 & 2 till March suggests no money for anything else.

The Montgomeryshire rag- County Times has gone into more detail and is quoting the local community rail officer as saying he's been been given a hint that a couple of extra services will be announced before Xmas.
 

merlodlliw

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The Montgomeryshire rag- County Times has gone into more detail and is quoting the local community rail officer as saying he's been been given a hint that a couple of extra services will be announced before Xmas.

There was no hint on Nov 3rd from the Cambrian CRO or anyone including ATW ,the politicians & the Senedd Cath.

yes Cambrian land is a Labour party wilderness, Carl knows that, so good luck.

Bob
 

sburnley

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"The Montgomeryshire rag- County Times has gone into more detail and is quoting the local community rail officer as saying he's been been given a hint that a couple of extra services will be announced before Xmas."

I would have thought that literally just one or two extra services would be sufficient, and used to fill in the gaps in the morning and evening to enable better connections with other services at Shrewsbury.

For instance the first train out of Welshpool towards Shrewsbury is at 06:40 and there is not another one until 09:01. [Why is this train timed like this - it just sits at Shrewsbury until 07:31?].

A fill-in service timed at around 07:10 from Welshpool could be used to to strengthen the 07:31 to Birmingham and enable passengers to connect with three other services - the 07:4X towards Chester, the 07:5x towards Crewe and Manchester Piccadilly and the 08:0x towards Cardiff down the marches line. I wonder if such a service had been in operation it might have made the Wrexham Shropshire and Marylebone 08: 10 train more heavily loaded - we shall never know!

On an evening it would be good to have another fill-in service at around 18:30 towards Aberystwyth from Shrewsbury giving an hour interval after the 17:30.

I must admit that I don't know what sort of loadings there would be West of Welshpool for the 18:30 but it might not have to go all the way to the coast - perhaps just to Machynlleth. Would this make it more easy to add to the timetable?

Stuart
 

merlodlliw

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"The Montgomeryshire rag- County Times has gone into more detail and is quoting the local community rail officer as saying he's been been given a hint that a couple of extra services will be announced before Xmas."

I would have thought that literally just one or two extra services would be sufficient, and used to fill in the gaps in the morning and evening to enable better connections with other services at Shrewsbury.

For instance the first train out of Welshpool towards Shrewsbury is at 06:40 and there is not another one until 09:01. [Why is this train timed like this - it just sits at Shrewsbury until 07:31?].

A fill-in service timed at around 07:10 from Welshpool could be used to to strengthen the 07:31 to Birmingham and enable passengers to connect with three other services - the 07:4X towards Chester, the 07:5x towards Crewe and Manchester Piccadilly and the 08:0x towards Cardiff down the marches line. I wonder if such a service had been in operation it might have made the Wrexham Shropshire and Marylebone 08: 10 train more heavily loaded - we shall never know!

On an evening it would be good to have another fill-in service at around 18:30 towards Aberystwyth from Shrewsbury giving an hour interval after the 17:30.

I must admit that I don't know what sort of loadings there would be West of Welshpool for the 18:30 but it might not have to go all the way to the coast - perhaps just to Machynlleth. Would this make it more easy to add to the timetable?

Stuart
just a hint , but if the hint hopefully bears fruit, there is no new timetable between Dec11 & Dec 2012.
Could the extra service be run with same stock & staff? ,it appears the extension of the WAG Exs like Gareth says will eat up an extra £2millions of WG spend, that could have been used.

Bob
 

jones_bangor

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just a hint , but if the hint hopefully bears fruit, there is no new timetable between Dec11 & Dec 2012.
Could the extra service be run with same stock & staff? ,it appears the extension of the WAG Exs like Gareth says will eat up an extra £2millions of WG spend, that could have been used.

Bob


The WAG Expresses are at least generally well used on the busy Marches and North Wales coast routes.

One thing that's never mentioned with regards the Cambrian is the use of 158s north of Machynlleth - Pwllheli, a service that is hardly heavily used in winter when a 153 would be adequate. This could free up a 158 for doubling up Aber - Birmingham services.
 

tirphil

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The WAG Expresses are at least generally well used on the busy Marches and North Wales coast routes.

One thing that's never mentioned with regards the Cambrian is the use of 158s north of Machynlleth - Pwllheli, a service that is hardly heavily used in winter when a 153 would be adequate. This could free up a 158 for doubling up Aber - Birmingham services.

The cost of installing ERTMS on a 153 means that this is unlikely to happen.
 

The Planner

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It would also mean you would probably have to install it to more than one for when it either fails or needs maintenance.
 

Gareth Marston

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ERTMS has introduced a degree of inlfexibilty for sure.

My understanding regarding stock has been that once ATW get back the 150's on loan to FGW then the 2 158 diagrams between Maesteg and Cheltenham go back to 150 haulage. This was how ATW planned to get stock to go to Marylebone. So there should in theory be 2 158's to use.

Some drivers have 2 hour layovers in Salop and there are some funny short days and very long days for Machynlleth staff at moment. Hourly could be largely resourced out of more efficient diagramming of staff.

I use 0514 ex Abr a lot you'll be surprised how may folk commute to Shrewsbury/Wellington/Telford and even Birmingham on it. It runs earlier than pattern so that it connects with Holyhead to CDF that leaves Shrewsbury @ 0719. The regulars all change onto the 0714 LM service to go further east rather than wait to 0731. An 0825 arrival into Salop would be very popular.

We would like to see any extra Cambrian trains integrated with the Crewe-Chester and Crewe-Salop shuttles to give a Chester-Crewe-Salo-Aber service. Better connections to a whole host of places at Crewe from Cambrian and through train to Chester for Wem, Whitchurch etc.
 

The Planner

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The fill in services won't terminate at Shrewsbury if they have any sense, you would run them up to Crewe.
 

PHILIPE

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ERTMS has introduced a degree of inlfexibilty for sure.

My understanding regarding stock has been that once ATW get back the 150's on loan to FGW then the 2 158 diagrams between Maesteg and Cheltenham go back to 150 haulage. This was how ATW planned to get stock to go to Marylebone. So there should in theory be 2 158's to use.
When additional 150s were transferred to ATW early 2008, the plan was that 5 were to be employed to strengthen peak time services to 6 coaches in the Cardiff Valleys. A considerable amount of money was used to lengthen platforms where necessary. Howevere, FGW decided to lease 5 of them to FGW and now after all this time, the strengthening seems to have been forgotten thus the ability of ATW to provide 150s for anything at any time having received those back from FGW
 

merlodlliw

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Had no Internet yesterday, dew to storms, well Gareth if it does not happen now its not going to.

Libs in bed with Labour again, is that the CROs glimmer of hope?

Story in Saturdays Daily Post, not a mention of rail, just Libs other shopping list
to do a deal.

Bob
 

Gareth Marston

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Had no Internet yesterday, dew to storms, well Gareth if it does not happen now its not going to.

Libs in bed with Labour again, is that the CROs glimmer of hope?

Story in Saturdays Daily Post, not a mention of rail, just Libs other shopping list
to do a deal.

Bob

Education was the Lib Dems main area in the negotiations.
 

merlodlliw

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Education was the Lib Dems main area in the negotiations.

appreciate that,but Kirsty could have asked for a mention on the Cambrian or her own Consistency the HOWL, I note shes the only Consituency Lib A.M in Wales, so had the chance to highlight Rail when she got into bed with Labour but blew it.


Bob
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
this is the report, in this weeks http://www.nwrail.org.uk/nwnews.htm

Cambrian hopes - by Rhydian Mason
(Cambrian Railways Partnership Development Officer)


Bob
 
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Gareth Marston

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appreciate that,but Kirsty could have asked for a mention on the Cambrian or her own Consistency the HOWL, I note shes the only Consituency Lib A.M in Wales, so had the chance to highlight Rail when she got into bed with Labour but blew it.


Bob
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
this is the report, in this weeks http://www.nwrail.org.uk/nwnews.htm

Cambrian hopes - by Rhydian Mason
(Cambrian Railways Partnership Development Officer)


Bob

He's a marketing bod with little real knowledge experience of rail hence hes swallowed whats hes been told without question.
 

tirphil

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The Aberystwyth rag - Cambrian News reports this week the hourly as being done deal for "new year" following meeting of local (non Labour- Labour lose their deposit in Mid Wales) AM's with station reopening campaigners from Bow St and Carno at Senedd this week. Report doesn't say anyone from WG attended.

Extra £ for WAG 1 & 2 till March suggests no money for anything else.

There will be no hourly service in any shape or form in the new year if my understanding of the current situation is correct regarding drivers diagrams.
 
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Education was the Lib Dems main area in the negotiations.

appreciate that,but Kirsty could have asked for a mention on the Cambrian or her own Consistency the HOWL, I note shes the only Consituency Lib A.M in Wales, so had the chance to highlight Rail when she got into bed with Labour but blew it.
Bob

There are all kinds of things she could have asked for, she'd never have got everything that everyone would want.

Politics and trains aside, more money for kids in schools, to be spent the way the individual school wants is a good thing IMO
 

merlodlliw

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Politics aside,and I have not seen the deal yet, I hope Kirsty & Aled Roberts mentioned rail in some form or other, to get Carwyn to even make a statement
on transport, a golden opportunity for the Lab/Lib deal, Schools are important, but so is rail now that overcrowding is so rampant.

Bob
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
He's a marketing bod with little real knowledge experience of rail hence hes swallowed whats hes been told without question.

He will learn, I was at the same reception in Cardiff, not a whisper.

Bob
 
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Gareth Marston

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hi all further to comment on WAG Express thread re chat with journo, He had pursued further detail from WG on Cambrian hourly and allegedly was told.

  • Business Case yet to be made.
  • Ongoing discussion with NR whether infrastructure is in right place to allow it.
  • No tt for definite implementation just that they will work towards it in period 2012-2015.

Obvious question if this is the case then what the hell are the Dyfi Jnc loop and Welshpool dynamic for?
 
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