ATW/Keolis Amey Wales stock shortages

Cardiff123 said:

I'm amazed these problems haven't been brought up in FMQs yet. No doubt Welsh Labour AMs are under orders from commander-in-chief Carwyn to keep quiet and not to overshadow his last few weeks in office.
I doubt any of the AMs in the Assembly understand the chain of events dating back years, that Welsh Govt is largely responsible for, that has led to this crisis situation anyway.

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Phil from Mon said:

The north Wales coast LHCS was replaced by a 150 today, certainly for the 1650 out of Piccadilly, which was very cosy, and I am pretty sure for the morning run to Holyhead, so I assume for the whole diagram. No idea what the problem is

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A rail firm has issued an apology after more than a quarter of its trains were left needing repairs - mainly because of leaves.

Transport for Wales, which only took over the running of services in the country last month, currently has 36 trains out of 127 under repair.


The firm recently said it had to deal with more trains than usual being out of service because leaves on the tracks were causing damage to the trains.

Repair work was also still being done on trains damaged during Storm Callum.

They said: "We’re sorry that over recent weeks too many trains have been cancelled, delayed, or have arrived with fewer carriages than normal.

"We know that overcrowding and uncertainty are big challenges for people, and we want to apologise that you haven’t received the service that you deserve and expect.

"Ongoing issues associated with recent storms in combination with ageing trains have led to an unprecedented number of our trains being out of service, and this has meant that we have had to run reduced services across the whole of our network."

They said additional bus replacement services were being put on and they were working to "safely and effectively return trains back into service".

They added: "Our engineers are working around the clock to repair the existing fleet of trains and keep the tracks clear of debris during the blustery and slippery autumn weather. Our maintenance depots are operating 24-hours a day, and we are working with suppliers to speed up these essential repairs. ""

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Cardiff123 said:

I'm amazed these problems haven't been brought up in FMQs yet. No doubt Welsh Labour AMs are under orders from commander-in-chief Carwyn to keep quiet and not to overshadow his last few weeks in office.
I doubt any of the AMs in the Assembly understand the chain of events dating back years, that Welsh Govt is largely responsible for, that has led to this crisis situation anyway.

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Y Ddraig Coch said:

Sorry I cant post all the text the advertisements make it very difficult. But basically Daily Post today reporting 36 out of 127 TfW trains out of service today That's over a quarter.

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/welsh-rail-operators-grovelling-apology-15438568

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Quarter of Welsh trains out of service, TfW admits in apology

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anthony263 said:

TFW have it seems taken up the option of the 4 additional 769s which will be a great help.

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anthony263 said:

TFW have it seems taken up the option of the 4 additional 769s which will be a great help.

It's looking to be more than a crisis at this rste

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anthony263 said:

TFW have it seems taken up the option of the 4 additional 769s which will be a great help.

It's looking to be more than a crisis at this rste

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Wolfie said:

If true it will be eventual helpful but heaven knows when they (and the extant 769s on order) will actually appear. Where in the 769 queue are TfW?

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Cardiff123 said:

Second after Northern.

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Astradyne said:

I think you are mistaken about what the derogation process is ... and what is allowed for. It allows for thing like button being a few centimetres outside the requirements. Derogation certainly doesn't apply for wholesale changes that were not made due to completly shambolic planning.

If TfW operate trains that are non-compliant after deadline, they risk being taken to court, prosecuted and fined ... and can see at least one disabled body undertaking this course of action if these events arise.

You would hope KeolisAmy recognised this risk, and factored it in finacially to their bid, or there was an undertaking for any fines to be based on to the Welsh Assembly.

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John Clausen said:

This doesn't just affect TFW. There is currently no solution for the HSTs out of St Pancras. Can EMT run their full timetable without them? AGA have a vast fleet of unmodified 317s and 321s but the 720 aren't expected to carry passengers until autumn 2019. Can they really replace all those units in three months? Even Northern aren't home and dry. If there is a major problem with the 195s then the Pacer replacement plan will be in trouble.

The government postponed the deadline to kill off mark 1 units by 11 months when they realised the alternative was mass cancellations. There is no reason why they cannot do the same again.

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PHILIPE said:

Have you got a source for this, please ? We don't know if we are going to get the original 5 yet at the rate of non-progress.

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Gareth Marston said:

Well Carwyn reverted to type and blamed it all on Westminster for not giving him more £ at First Ministers Questions yesterday.

After all a Westminster Labour Government with Welsh Labour Ministers did impose the 15 year No Growth franchise on Wales and Borders in 2003 and were in power for another 7 years after.....

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First Minister, how do you consider the early stages of the new rail franchise to be progressing?

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With great difficulty, because there have been enormous problems, as we can see. I'm glad that Transport for Wales has issued the apologies that is has. It had been affected by storm Callum and it has inherited quite an elderly fleet. But we did say—we were honest at the start—it would take some time to replace the trains that we wanted and to get the kind of service that we want to provide to the people of Wales.

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First Minister, only a number of months ago, your transport Secretary stated that the new rail franchise would be transformational.
We are now just over one month since Transport for Wales took over the Welsh rail franchise, and already we have a public full-newspaper-page-spread apology that you've referred to. Now, the apology states, and I quote:

'We know that you, our customers, deserve better from your rail services in Wales and the Borders, and this is not what you expected from your new operator.'

Unquote. And do you know why, First Minister, this is not what people expected? I'll tell you why. Because, yet again, it is your Government who is responsible for these services, and you are, once again, failing to deliver on your promises. You promised a high-quality, affordable and accessible train network in Wales, but the reality for passengers is that Transport for Wales's morning commuter train from Chepstow and Caldicot to Newport and Cardiff has been cancelled 16 times in the last 20 weekdays. Blaenau Ffestiniog, Betws y Coed and Llanrwst have had no trains all day on seven of the last 20 weekdays. And the 08:40 train from Aberystwyth to Shrewsbury was cancelled on four days last week. This is an absolute shambles by your Government. So, First Minister, instead of public relations-inspired apologies, what measurable action is Transport for Wales taking to address this appalling start to the franchise?

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I have to say, this is weak ground for him. How does he justify the fact that Wales only gets 1 per cent of rail infrastructure investment? Nothing from him about that. How does he explain—? Yes, I know it's difficult, but it's true. How does he explain the fact that it was his own party that cancelled electrification west of Cardiff, despite the promise that was actually made? So, this is very weak ground for him.

But, we did say that we would transform the rail network in Wales. We didn't say we'd do it in a month. After 15 years of a franchise that was let before, after many, many years of underinvestment in the track, by a Conservative Government, we said that we would transform the network, but we were upfront and said it would take time to do it. Of course it would. Some of the problems on the trains are to do with the track, which we have no control over, and some of them are to do with the fact that 30 per cent of the rolling stock was impacted by storm Callum.

But I have to say to him, I don't think people will find it realistic when he says, after 15 years of rolling stock being used, that everything was going to change in a month. Really. We said that that wouldn't happen, but we have, of course, outlined a plan for the future and we will deliver a train Service for the people of Wales and keep our promises, unlike his party.

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Since your Government has taken over this franchise, services have got worse, and that's just in a month, First Minister. Now, the previous franchise agreement made no allowance for growth in passenger numbers and no provisions for extra train capacity. Since that franchise was first let in 2003, passenger numbers have increased by around 75 per cent. This created chronic congestion, a lack of appropriate rolling stock and years of underinvestment in relation to rail services across Wales.
You were asked repeatedly to publish the tender specification against which the potential rail operators were to bid in order to win the current contract. You have repeatedly refused to make that document public. Transparency is, of course, a key component in ensuring that the Welsh public have faith in Transport for Wales going forward. First Minister, in light of these deteriorating services, will you now release that tender specification in full. in order to help restore the public's confidence in your Government's oversight of rail services in Wales, and so that we can fully assess your Government's role in this continuation of failing of Welsh commuters?

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The document will be published. We always said it would be—suitably redacted, of course. But, I mean, really, four weeks into the franchise, he is critical—after 15 years of the franchise being run from Whitehall, after eight years of a Conservative Government when no extra money was put into rail investment in Wales, no extra money was put into infrastructure, no extra money was put into rolling stock, no money was allocated for electrification. We've seen the shambles in England with some of the franchises there. Chris Grayling has been hauled over the coals for it. There's no vision in England. There's no money being set to one side. Despite that fact that we have called for rail infrastructure to be devolved, with an appropriate Barnett consequential, which will be 6.2 per cent, the Tories have refused, because they're happy with a situation, it seems, where Wales gets 1 per cent of rail infrastructure investment. That is absolutely wrong given the fact that Scotland gets a far, far better deal. What we've offered the people of Wales is a vision for the future. We've said that by the end of next year, the pacer trains will go, there will be partial electrification, there will be new trains, they will all be air conditioned, and people will be able to experience a service that's far, far superior than the service the Tories tolerated for so long from 2010 onwards.

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Dr Day said:

Heard a rumour at Gloucester yesterday that once Arriva decided they were pulling out of bidding for the new W&B franchise they stopped ordering spare parts to save money.

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Dr Day said:

Was a member of TfW Rail staff, so may have some credence?

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Cardiff123 said:

Here's an article from 2015 warning WG ministers about the looming crisis. WG put all the blame at the time on to ATW. I'm not going to quote it cos I'm in a rush and well, it's all too depressing. All the warnings given in the article have now come true.
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/three-quarters-ageing-wales-borders-10520645

Those answers from Carwyn Jones are pathetic, he's completely abidicating all his responsibility over this crisis we now face.

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