The Cambrian service (effectively Birmingham International to Aberystwyth and Pwllheli) is undoubtedly one of the scenic treasures of our railway network (especially west of Shrewsbury). Pre-Covid passenger numbers were rising nicely year by year and then came pestilence, storm and tempest, to put it biblically. Yet the trains still tried to run except when floods and other damage rendered this impossible. Then, just as Wales started to emerge from the latest lockdown, the Cambrian route was closed between Shrewsbury and Machynlleth for six weeks, mid-May to end of June 2021, to raise the level of a flood-prone bridge near Machynlleth. All of this was to try and make a better, more reliable service and was commendable. But since then it has been a July of chaos in my experience. Through services to and from Birmingham International are advertised as such but frequently end up terminating at Shrewsbury in both directions with passengers required to alight and hope for the best as regards the availability and reliability of onward services. In the past three weeks I have experienced delays of an hour or more, trains with heating stuck on despite the warm temperatures and the usual inaccurate information as to what half of the train goes where. Yet passengers seem incredibly stoical and the staff resilient. On 22 July, having travelled from London Euston on the 13.43 InterCity to Wolverhampton I had an hour to kill in that town which meant a pub and grub stop. I was able to follow the progress of the anticipated 16.06 from BHI to AYW and the preceeding journey it made from Holyhead to BHI. It progressively lost time on that earlier journey resulting in it being terminated short and turned at Birmingham New Street. When it arrived at Wolverhampton it was an odd combination of rolling stock headed by a class 153. This didn't bode well. Sure enough at Shrewsbury we had to alight because the train was being terminated there and "any onward passengers" were told that they faced a wait of at least 45 minutes. A similar thing happened on the previous Monday afternoon where another termination at Shrewsbury meant a "twenty minute delay" forecast. This ended up being one hour.
I fully understand that the Cambrian is operating with old-ish stock and that the single track with passing loops is bound to handicap the service at times of disruption. But this month has been astonishingly poor and I wasn't at all surprised to see passengers making the best of it by partying on board with copious bottles of stimulating refreshment and loud music being played!
I fully understand that the Cambrian is operating with old-ish stock and that the single track with passing loops is bound to handicap the service at times of disruption. But this month has been astonishingly poor and I wasn't at all surprised to see passengers making the best of it by partying on board with copious bottles of stimulating refreshment and loud music being played!