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ATW 14th May timetable published

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anthony263

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I have noticed that I seem spoilt for choice when I go to Cardiff on a saturday morning as I have a train from Pyle to Cardiff at: 09:20, 09:44, 10:05 & 10:20 although the 10:05 arrival does seem to have a lot of slack in it considering it seems to take 12 minutes from Port Talbot to Pyle maybe ATW should have timed it to leave Swansea slightly later than it currently does.

That said there will be a lot of happy people considering how most of the time the 09:44 service from Pyle to Cardiff is a overcrowded class 153.

Apart from that I am not complaining and I am looking forward to a summer saturday trip to Pembroke dock on a hst.
 

D1009

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the 10:05 arrival does seem to have a lot of slack in it considering it seems to take 12 minutes from Port Talbot to Pyle maybe ATW should have timed it to leave Swansea slightly later than it currently does.

It's pathed between two freight trains between Margam and Bridgend, neither of which run on a regular basis, but DB Schenker will have contractual rights to their paths. This is one of the frustrations of train planning.
 

SprinterMan

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Wrexham Central - Bidston appears to be missing off the orange timetable!

It's in the main book, just there is no summary card for it. :)

The new timetable for North Wales (4 - Orange) is very good. There is now an early morning Saturday Holyhead - Manchester train and 3 Holyhead - Manchester trains on Sundays. It also features the reintroduction of a Llandudno Junction - Chester non-stop train (1544 HHD-BHI).

One query though. On the SO 2100 Crewe-HHD Conwy, Panmaenmawr and Llanfairfechan are shown as normal stops and not request stops. Why is this? Is it a mistake? I have been on this train twice (under the old timetable) and once they were treated as proper stops and once as request stops so not even the crew seem to know. Any info will be most welcome. :)
 

merlodlliw

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It's in the main book, just there is no summary card for it. :)

The new timetable for North Wales (4 - Orange) is very good. There is now an early morning Saturday Holyhead - Manchester train and 3 Holyhead - Manchester trains on Sundays. It also features the reintroduction of a Llandudno Junction - Chester non-stop train (1544 HHD-BHI).

One query though. On the SO 2100 Crewe-HHD Conwy, Panmaenmawr and Llanfairfechan are shown as normal stops and not request stops. Why is this? Is it a mistake? I have been on this train twice (under the old timetable) and once they were treated as proper stops and once as request stops so not even the crew seem to know. Any info will be most welcome. :)

Just noticed the new 0716 Sunday train to Crewe from Holyhead, that's early & New, it used to be the return 0625 from Chester about an hour later last year, good news about the Manchesters from Holyhead, badly needed in the holiday season,

Bob
 

D1009

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good news about the Manchesters from Holyhead, badly needed in the holiday season,

Bob

I note the 0425 HHD CDF on Saturdays now goes to MAN. I thought according to others who post on here everyone in North Wales wants to go to Cardiff ?
 

Squaddie

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I note the 0425 HHD CDF on Saturdays now goes to MAN. I thought according to others who post on here everyone in North Wales wants to go to Cardiff ?
Please let's not start this nonsense again; I don't understand why every thread that relates to Welsh railways has to end in these pointless political arguments.
 

merlodlliw

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copy of an e mail I have sent around.

From the May ATW timetable I note the loss of two services connecting Shrewsbury with Wrexham for Chester on Bank Holiday Mondays.

0610 Shrewsbury to Wrexham connecting pax with the VT to Chester is cancelled.

2049 Wrexham to Shrewsbury with pax off the VT is also cancelled.

These are franchise trains that ATW gave up (between Wrexham & Chester) to allow VT into Wrexham.

What it means is pax for Ruabon/Chirk/Gobowen/Shrewsbury have a two hour gap both ways.

........(name removed)Will you kindly check to see if ATW have made an error, or is it a sly move to save a 150 off the Bidston Bank Holiday timetable where the 150 is worked

The VT by the way is running on Bank Holidays.

Later been told the trains appear in National Rail planner, so looks like a timetable error that needs attention by ATW,

ATW have been notified by Wrexham CBC staff.

Bob
 
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I note the loss of two services connecting Shrewsbury with Wrexham for Chester on Bank Holiday Mondays.

0610 Shrewsbury to Wrexham connecting pax with the VT to Chester is cancelled.

2049 Wrexham to Shrewsbury with pax off the VT is also cancelled.

So what? How many people want to leave Shrewsbury at 0610 on a Bank Holiday anyway?

And the 2049 service from Wrexham was pointless in terms of moving passengers who got off the VT service - because they could change at Crewe and arrive in Shrewsbury at 2047, before the service from Wrexham has even set off!
 

All Line Rover

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No significant improvements to the Whitchurch (Shrops) service, though. Timings are as rubbish as ever. :(

I'm sure there must a reason behind it (e.g. connections at Crewe), but for those of us who use it as a "shuttle service" to travel between the intermediate towns, having two trains within 15 minutes and then a 1h 45m gap is awful.
 
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No significant improvements to the Whitchurch (Shrops) service, though. Timings are as rubbish as ever. :(

Ditto for Church Stretton, at least Mon-Fri. There are times during the day when there are about 3 trains within an hour or so! (Thanks to the HoWL trains..) Then huge gaps of nearly 2 hours during the day. Bring back the "one an hour" please!!
 

merlodlliw

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So what? How many people want to leave Shrewsbury at 0610 on a Bank Holiday anyway?

And the 2049 service from Wrexham was pointless in terms of moving passengers who got off the VT service - because they could change at Crewe and arrive in Shrewsbury at 2047, before the service from Wrexham has even set off!

Thanks for your comments, which appear to support ATW in cutting the services.

My point is this, ATW ran a franchise service six days a week ex Shrewsbury at 0610 all stations to Chester, then Mon/Fri two years ago gave the path to VT Wrexham to Chester, ATW still run the service Saturdays.

The same applies to the 2047 ex Wrexham, which was also an ATW all stations Chester to Shrewsbury & still is on Saturdays.

I could also comment how many pax will be carried on other early morning ATW services on bank holidays,some start just after 0300.

You seem to forget pax also depart/arrive to from Chester for Ruabon/Chirk & Gobowen, the VT to/from Wrexham is 95% local traffic.

Has a member of the local rug, I want extra services not less, and wont support ATW in withdrawing any service especially on a busy bank holiday evening leaving a two hour gap on the line plus the VT was never put on with Shrewsbury pax to London in mind.

You are entitled to your opinion of course.


Bob
 

LNW-GW Joint

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I note the 0425 HHD CDF on Saturdays now goes to MAN. I thought according to others who post on here everyone in North Wales wants to go to Cardiff ?

They still can, in the same times, change at Chester.
The Manchester leg is extra and very welcome.

Does anybody else like me find the new timetable font truly awful?
It looks like it was done on a typewriter.
And still no attempt to combine all the "northern" lines into one booklet.
 

merlodlliw

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They still can, in the same times, change at Chester.
The Manchester leg is extra and very welcome.

Does anybody else like me find the new timetable font truly awful?
It looks like it was done on a typewriter.
And still no attempt to combine all the "northern" lines into one booklet.

Another welcome move, two trains from Llandudno to Manchester half an hour apart 1440 & 1508 Mon to Fri.

As for the font, ill see what the hard copy is like,agree its different on the web.

Agree about the Northern Lines,


Bob
 

Gareth Marston

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Monty and Nora prefer to fly......

If ATW ran a timetable that saw trains connect between the coast and Aberystwyth and vice versa it would see quite a few interchanges which is its intended purpose of course. But of course specifying connections wasn't in the franchise agreement....

Still of course the request passenger has a complete resurfaced raised platform with new waiting shelter and PIS Screens and can wonder why the loop on the Aberystwyth side is so rusty.....
 

merlodlliw

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If ATW ran a timetable that saw trains connect between the coast and Aberystwyth and vice versa it would see quite a few interchanges which is its intended purpose of course. But of course specifying connections wasn't in the franchise agreement....

Still of course the request passenger has a complete resurfaced raised platform with new waiting shelter and PIS Screens and can wonder why the loop on the Aberystwyth side is so rusty.....

Indeed, the request stop is only is dreamed up by ATWs, lets see if anyone complains dept, ATW have had ten years to sort out connections,but only work by the tick box system to get the dosh. Note not a word in the ATW letter to stakeholders about Dyfi becoming a request stop or cancelling services on the Shrewsbury/Chester.

Bob
 

D1009

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Indeed, the request stop is only is dreamed up by ATWs, lets see if anyone complains dept, ATW have had ten years to sort out connections,but only work by the tick box system to get the dosh. Note not a word in the ATW letter to stakeholders about Dyfi becoming a request stop or cancelling services on the Shrewsbury/Chester.

Does anyone care whether a stop is request or not ? I used to use the line regularly, and seldom did anyone use Dovey Jn. Most non-disabled people would prefer to change at Machynlleth.
 

Gareth Marston

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Does anyone care whether a stop is request or not ? I used to use the line regularly, and seldom did anyone use Dovey Jn. Most non-disabled people would prefer to change at Machynlleth.

That's because the trains don't connect! There's two trains in the AM that provide a good connection into Aberystwyth from the coast but none later in the day, in the opposite direction absolutely none at all.

Why would someone traveling from Tywyn to Aberystwyth want to go all the way to Mach and back to change?
 

D1009

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That's because the trains don't connect! There's two trains in the AM that provide a good connection into Aberystwyth from the coast but none later in the day, in the opposite direction absolutely none at all.

Why would someone traveling from Tywyn to Aberystwyth want to go all the way to Mach and back to change?

I wasn't suggesting closing Dovey Jn, just pointing out the reason for it being a request stop. It's a very windswept and remote place to spend any time, unless you're a birdwatcher. No doubt things will be different if the hourly service to Aber ever happens.
 

AllWork

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Does anyone care whether a stop is request or not ? I used to use the line regularly, and seldom did anyone use Dovey Jn. Most non-disabled people would prefer to change at Machynlleth.

I have regularly travelled the line for about 10yrs now and only once have I seen a customer get off the train at Dyfi Junction. She was a student, got off, turned round to the guard and then got back on again.

I can only assume she had lower expectations of Aberystwyth than most!
 

Rhydgaled

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No doubt things will be different if the hourly service to Aber ever happens.
Hourly service looks pretty dead now, with reports that more of the ERTMS fitted DMUs are being used on Holyhead - Birmingham services. Unless ATW drop some of the strengthening along there, or somehow seperate their diagrams from Cambrians so different stock can be used, they aren't going to be able to source ERTMS units for a Cambrian hourly service.
 

merlodlliw

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Does anyone care whether a stop is request or not ? I used to use the line regularly, and seldom did anyone use Dovey Jn. Most non-disabled people would prefer to change at Machynlleth.

I care, request stops mean not all trains have to call if the X in the timetable is removed by the toc, it may be windswept, but it is a junction,


Bob
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Dyfi Jnc confirmed as request only now.

I would also ask did ATW consult with any party before imposing this change,such as "TraCC" or Sarpa


Bob
 
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