"Jam yfory"
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Keolis/Amey to take over Wales and Borders
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Elecman
Established Member
Jam yfory
Jona26
Member
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-44221184
Interesting route map showing on this BBC News item.
It is claimed to be the current ATW route map but has the Keolis Amey logo on it too.
However, no service shown from Crewe to Chester and also service reinstated beyond Blaenau Ffestiniog!
Interesting route map showing on this BBC News item.
It is claimed to be the current ATW route map but has the Keolis Amey logo on it too.
However, no service shown from Crewe to Chester and also service reinstated beyond Blaenau Ffestiniog!
berneyarms
Established Member
The line from Chester to Wrexham is missing too.
Jona26
Member
Whoops - didn't notice that one.
Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
You could validly argue for giving that stupid shuttle to Northern; it doesn't after all even go into Wales in any form. Maybe they will.
It isn't an extension of the Conwy Valley, they've just erroneously claimed the Ffestiniog, if you look where it goes!
It isn't an extension of the Conwy Valley, they've just erroneously claimed the Ffestiniog, if you look where it goes!
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berneyarms
Established Member
Post deleted due to dud info!!
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Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
For clarity the reason the shuttle is stupid is because it doesn't reflect the actual travel demand. Running Holyhead to Crewe (and ideally on to Birmingham via Stafford) hourly, and starting the Marches services at Chester like they used to, would be a better reflection of demand, rather than a political statement attempting (ultimately unsuccessfully) to cause the people of North Wales to give a stuff as to what is going on in Cardiff.
Another thing that might work if they insist on continuing their silly pet project is to run 5 cars Holyhead to Chester then send 3 onto Crewe and 2 down the Marches.
berneyarms
Established Member
Actually I have to correct myself - scrap my earlier post - it connects into and out of the Manchester-Llandudno service.
Given that it’s constrained by slots at Manchester are you suggesting it should be curtailed at Chester?
Given that it’s constrained by slots at Manchester are you suggesting it should be curtailed at Chester?
tiptoptaff
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DenmarkRail
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MK5 replacements for MK3s would be nice...
Del1977
Member
Apparently, MTR are not appealing the decision.
Jeremy Long, CEO of MTR’s business in Europe, congratulated KeolisAmey on its success but said that MTR was disappointed with the decision.
He added: “MTR is very disappointed not to have been chosen to run the Wales & Borders franchise, and not to have the opportunity to bring our proven record of providing excellent passenger service, and of successfully delivering railway infrastructure, for the benefit of passengers and the wider community in Wales.”
A spokesperson for the company confirmed that it does not intend to appeal the decision.
https://www.globalrailnews.com/2018...-awards-wales-and-borders-rail-franchise/amp/
Jeremy Long, CEO of MTR’s business in Europe, congratulated KeolisAmey on its success but said that MTR was disappointed with the decision.
He added: “MTR is very disappointed not to have been chosen to run the Wales & Borders franchise, and not to have the opportunity to bring our proven record of providing excellent passenger service, and of successfully delivering railway infrastructure, for the benefit of passengers and the wider community in Wales.”
A spokesperson for the company confirmed that it does not intend to appeal the decision.
https://www.globalrailnews.com/2018...-awards-wales-and-borders-rail-franchise/amp/
berneyarms
Established Member
Eh no that’s the Borderlands line!
tiptoptaff
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Well aware of my former employer's network. Hence I know it's a deliberately over-simplified map used for quick reference on board trains. The full network maps on stations and other places is correct in showing them separate.
But thanks for your (incorrect) correction all the same.
Full details, along with the ITT, released by this Friday then?
Oh wait......hang on.......Skates says the spin doctors are not ready.
craigybagel
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Given Northern don't have a depot within 30 miles of either station, don't currently sign the route and aren't doing a great job of staffing their own services as it is, I'm really not sure you can.
berneyarms
Established Member
Given that they include virtually every other line (including the Swansea District Line) you’d think that the map would be correct?
What’s incorrect about my comment?
I’m not sure if telling me that you’re a former employee is relevant? One doesn’t need to be an employee to know the network.
They still haven't admitted to trams... But the best I hope for now is that they'll be tram-trains and won't go north of Taff's Well. It's not that I don't like trams, I just think they should be kept completely seperate from the heavy rail network in Cardiff without robbing the heads of the valleys of propper trains.
I've had a go at incorporating the arrows-motif into a Metro livery on a 150 but it still needs work. I'm much happier with the 158 I did.
Travesties is the right word. I hope for something based on the old ValleyLines livery, but with the main colour switching around for different service groups (like Stagecoach's white for express, blue for regional/outer-suburban and red for inner-suburban).
I've had a go at incorporating the arrows-motif into a Metro livery on a 150 but it still needs work. I'm much happier with the 158 I did.
I still can't think of a good reason for hiding the ITT during the bidding process either. From a pessimist's point of view it smacks of them trying to cover up something controvertial so that they can force it through. Any optimist's out there with an optimistic interpretation of the reason for hiding the ITT?
I would doubt it - the standstill would still apply, of course, if it isn't specifically written that any disclosure is precluded then that could change things, it's all an unknown in this world class procurement bonanza.
jhy44
Member
Scrap the shuttle and extend the EMT Derby - Crewe service to replace it, and have it timed to connect at Chester with the North Wales Coaster.
Then you'll improve connections, and remove a purely-English service from a Welsh Government franchise. Win Win.
transmanche
Established Member
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I'd suggest Taith. A Welsh word meaning 'journey' and one that's easily pronounceable to English speakers.
It's screaming cover up at me as well. They don't want any details released until the contracts are signed and sealed and there's no going back. Scruntiny of TfW of any sort is banned. It's disgraceful.
You've forgotten "transformational and transformative" which were bandied around a lot by Keolis today, along with "ambitious" "exciting" "step change" and who can forget that this franchise award has been "made in Wales".
Mikey C
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Surely the obvious name for this network around Cardiff is...
Gareth Bale Rail
Gareth Bale Rail
Not quite win win. It would clash badly with other services because of the requirement to cross over to at least platform 6 to get to Chester. Then there's the issue of who is staffing these trains. Plus, some of the trains from Crewe do go into Wales. Maintenance depot at both ends too.
Good luck pathing that across Crewe each hour.
And would you redraw the Derby - Crewe timetable or the WCML timetable to make it fit?
Incidentally as a regular user of said Crewe - Chester shuttle can I say that it has its virtues too?
It trundles back and forth, doing its job, avoiding delays picked up west of Chester or east/south of Crewe.
And the 150s are comfy enough.
(Though I'd prefer through Crewe - North Wales trains personally.)
It trundles back and forth, doing its job, avoiding delays picked up west of Chester or east/south of Crewe.
And the 150s are comfy enough.
(Though I'd prefer through Crewe - North Wales trains personally.)
craigybagel
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Most likely impossible - you'd never be able to path it across the WCML on the flat.
Also I hate to think what running a service on the fringe of a network (and in this case 50 miles from the nearest depot) would do for reliability. Surely those issues would more then outweigh the mysterious unspecified advantages in having a route run by a TOC based in Derby over one based in Cardiff.....
Gareth Marston
Established Member
Surely the obvious name for this network around Cardiff is...
Gareth Bale Rail
He lives in Madrid where they have a proper Metro with cross city lines........
Gareth Marston
Established Member
Keolis were clearly scripted from Welsh Government it had all the hallmarks of their paranoid self congratulatory news management culture.
The big things to watch out for when we do get more details are-
Will they dare tackle PRM Compliance head on and describe what the plan is? or will they gloss it over? I would say a lack of any cohernat plan to address PRM in the announcement is an automatic fail. Asserting that its the operators responsibility is not good enough TfW - take note.
Will the Long Distance Fleet be sufficient to eliminate 2 car DMU working into major cities?(my minimum benchmark for the franchise outside Cardiff travel to work area local services & branches) currently ATW have 125 vehicles in their long distance fleet (48 x 158, 69 x 175 & 8 xLHCS) Your looking for that fleet to be about 160 strong to get to the point where 2 car DMU's to New ST in the peak are but bad memory's. A fleet of 802 bi modes running hourly Cardiff to Holyhead trains with the remainder still struggling is an automatic disqualification remember Transport for Wales you serve Manchester by two routes and Birmingham.
And as a follow on I would like to see the entire current 158 fleet restricted to diagrams that lead back to Machynlleth.
Will we also get a coherent plan to address the inevitable platform congestion and capacity restraint cased by splitting Valley Lines at Cardiff Central?
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