It has been mentioned that the 175’s can’t be rescued by other types of train because the coupling is non standard. Does anyone know if the new fleets ordered by Transport for Wales from CAF & Stadler will have common couplings? In addition, will the new trains replace the stock coming from the East Coast that will be hauled by the 67’s?
Comment has also been made about the fact that The Marches are not as crowded as some people make out & that the problem really arises when a 2 car is in use. Perhaps with 5 car trains in operation, fares could be lowered to induce more people to travel by train? For example, a 1 hour journey from Hereford to Cardiff costs £24.10 whilst a 1 hour 30 minute journey from Hereford to Birmingham costs £17.51 - both quotes being off peak day returns. So, it looks to me like price is being used to suppress demand possibly due to a lack of capacity? Clearly, seeing this, people in Hereford are more likely to go to Birmingham rather than Cardiff for major city shopping.