Carmarthen to Aberystwyth by rail any real advantage over T1 bus?

[John Luxton]

Armed with a 4 in 8 day Explore Wales Pass I plotted out an itinerary from Chester via Shrewsbury, Llanelli to Carmarthen then on the T1 bus to Aberystwyth, returning to Chester by rail.

I was quite unaware of the new and quite comfortable electric Youtong electric buses deployed on the route since early this year until it rolled up to the bus stop at Carmarthen Station.

The bus ran on time arriving at Aberystwyth 8 minutes before the the train departure to Shrewsbury.

Straight onto the train and away.

I note also that the TfW rail journey planner shows rail journeys from Carmarthen to Shrewsbury using the bus service to Aberystwyth.

I am aware that there has been much campaigning for a restoration of the rail link but looking back at an old 1961 rail timetable the three trains per day service appeared to take 20 minutes longer than the current bus service.

One wonders if there is really much point in considering reopening this route as a rail line?

Just wondering if others have used the T1 link between Carmarthen and Aberystwyth stations and their thoughts.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Fully integrated quality coaches in the railway fare system and timetable as trains would indeed provide considerable benefit for Wales. Traws is almost there but not quite (it isn't fully integrated).

 

[John Luxton]

Fully integrated quality coaches in the railway fare system and timetable as trains would indeed provide considerable benefit for Wales. Traws is almost there but not quite (it isn't fully integrated).

Only T1 seems to offer acceptance of the Explore Wales pass as operator is First Group who are one of the four bus partners. As TfW market the Traws network surely the other operators should be encouraged to accept rail through ticketing especially on the Wrexham Ruabon Barmouth route which as with the T1 is very much a rail replacement.

 

[swaldman]

I guess this would be similar to "why bother with the Far North Line (for passengers) when there is a bus that is faster".
I still take the train on that route, even though it takes longer, for comfort and for the ability to work at a table en route.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Armed with a 4 in 8 day Explore Wales Pass I plotted out an itinerary from Chester via Shrewsbury, Llanelli to Carmarthen then on the T1 bus to Aberystwyth, returning to Chester by rail.

I was quite unaware of the new and quite comfortable electric Youtong electric buses deployed on the route since early this year until it rolled up to the bus stop at Carmarthen Station.

The bus ran on time arriving at Aberystwyth 8 minutes before the the train departure to Shrewsbury.

Straight onto the train and away.

I note also that the TfW rail journey planner shows rail journeys from Carmarthen to Shrewsbury using the bus service to Aberystwyth.

I am aware that there has been much campaigning for a restoration of the rail link but looking back at an old 1961 rail timetable the three trains per day service appeared to take 20 minutes longer than the current bus service.

One wonders if there is really much point in considering reopening this route as a rail line?

Just wondering if others have used the T1 link between Carmarthen and Aberystwyth stations and their thoughts.

Through ticketing onto National Rail is , I am advised possible.

Know folk who use it periodically , and there are no negative comments.

Reinstatement would take years and cost well over a £1 BN I guess(there have been several detailed studies done)- not exactly value for money , if indeed money was available. (which it is not)

Classic case of crayonista desire , with a twist towards joining the nation together without traversing England.

Buses - back in the day as a student , last century - there were 2 a day to Ammanford (connections to Cardiff avaialble) and a lesser service to Carmarthen.

 

[Michael.Y]

Only people who want a rail link between Carmarthen and Aberystwyth are people who are triggered by having to "travel through England" to get to Aberystwyth from Cardiff.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Presume the journey time from Carmarthen to Aberystwyth using the T1 bus is significantly quicker/faster than travelling via Shrewsbury by rail?

 

[ChiefPlanner]

Presume the journey time from Carmarthen to Aberystwyth using the T1 bus is significantly quicker/faster than travelling via Shrewsbury by rail?

Now that FGW are running a much enhanced IEP service from Paddington (via Swansea) to Carmarthen almost certainly , if you pick your trains carefully.

Advantages also in having a more modern train etc , as poor old TfW have had a hard time recently as we all know , in maintaining an interurban service on the SWML and the Cardiff - Crewe with a "challenged" fleet ......

(as an ex Aber graduate , I really have to do this rail / bus interchange run soon in this good weather)

 

[John Luxton]

Now that FGW are running a much enhanced IEP service from Paddington (via Swansea) to Carmarthen almost certainly , if you pick your trains carefully.

Advantages also in having a more modern train etc , as poor old TfW have had a hard time recently as we all know , in maintaining an interurban service on the SWML and the Cardiff - Crewe with a "challenged" fleet ......

(as an ex Aber graduate , I really have to do this rail / bus interchange run soon in this good weather)

I actually travelled to Carmarthen on a GW IET from Llanelli (I had come down the Central Wales line feeling something like a sardine in a packed 153) the 800 had originated from Swansea and should have headed to Paddington according to the schedule but was returning to Swansea due to the engineering blockade between Cardiff an Newport. Hardly any passengers on board.

It arrived at Carmarthen slightly ahead of schedule - this enabled me to catch the 13:09 T1 as that was just driving into the station approach as I stepped off the train. Theoretically I should have missed it by a couple of minutes and had planned for the 14:09 or 15:09.

Only down side was not having time for a mooch around Carmarthen station. First time I have been west from Llanelli by rail.

I imagine the T1 could prove quite attractive to students accessing University College Trinity St David's at Lampeter as it lies mid way between the Aberystwyth and Carmarthen rail heads.

 

[Greybeard33]

Presume the journey time from Carmarthen to Aberystwyth using the T1 bus is significantly quicker/faster than travelling via Shrewsbury by rail?

According to the TfW journey planner, even Cardiff - Aberystwyth journeys can be quicker changing between train and bus at Carmarthen than changing trains at Shrewsbury, depending on the time of day. Although the best connections at Shrewsbury allow Cardiff - Aberystwyth in under 4h, versus around 4h15 via Carmarthen.

 

[DynamicSpirit]

I guess this would be similar to "why bother with the Far North Line (for passengers) when there is a bus that is faster".
I still take the train on that route, even though it takes longer, for comfort and for the ability to work at a table en route.

The difference being that the Far North Line already exists, so you can provide a passenger service on it without first having spend huge sums of money rebuilding it!

There's also a secondary - and perhaps more political - difference that the Far North line is the only railway line that goes remotely near places like Wick and Thurso, so if it didn't exist, those communities would be over 70 miles from the nearest rail line, which would probably be politically unacceptable to a lot of people (see the arguments for the reopening to Tweedbank 8 years ago). That is not the case for a proposed Aberystwyth-Carmarthen line, which would connect two towns that already have reasonable alternative rail services.

 

[johnnychips]

Presume the journey time from Carmarthen to Aberystwyth using the T1 bus is significantly quicker/faster than travelling via Shrewsbury by rail?

It is 2h 15m on the T1. I cannot imagine any trains via Shrewsbury getting close to that time by quite a mile.

I did it at Easter, and the bus served the centres of communities, yet without too many diversions serving places too off-route.

Smashing buses too.

 

[fairlie]

Only people who want a rail link between Carmarthen and Aberystwyth are people who are triggered by having to "travel through England" to get to Aberystwyth from Cardiff.

This is nonsense. The thing about having to 'travel through England' is because England is not on the way from Aberystwyth to Cardiff. There are also other destinations in South Wales (like Swansea) where the full journey round by rail is far too far and consequently takes much too long. North-South rail routes in Wales are certainly needed.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

This is nonsense. The thing about having to 'travel through England' is because England is not on the way from Aberystwyth to Cardiff. There are also other destinations in South Wales (like Swansea) where the full journey round by rail is far too far and consequently takes much too long. North-South rail routes in Wales are certainly needed.

That is fine - if you have say a £1 billion or so , and a delivery plan of say 10 years for a project to do so .