Milford Haven Branch Closure

[Mark Carter]

On Thursday of last last week it was announced that the Clarbeston Road to Milford Haven branch was to shut from the following Monday for 5 weeks for vegetation / tree removal. A couple of weeks ago the Fishguard branch was shut following a tree hitting a train and an area of embankment was cut back next to Spittal tunnel. Almost as soon as the Fishguard branch re opened, the Milford branch was shut with a couple of days warning and buses replaced trains from Milford Haven to Carmarthen. The situation is somewhat bizzare in that why cannot TFW operate from Carmarthen to Haverfordwest and bus shuttle the rest, whilst the Haverfordwest to Milford section is cleared. Then shut Haverfordwest to Clarbeston road and run trains as far as Clarbeston Road whilst that section is done. The line west of Carmarthen is after all still serving Fishguard and Pembroke Dock. I can only think that TFW are so short of trains they are using this as an excuse to save 1 or 2 units and stop all services. Is this action really acceptable after all Clarbeston Road to Carmarthen track must be deemed safe so why substitute a bus?.
Also bizzare is the TFW journey check contradicts the closure and sells train tickets between Haverfordwest and Carmarthen. Even the call centre staff tell you trains are running

 

[30907]

If the work is being done in two separate stages either side of Haverfordwest, it would make sense to run trains that far. I don't know if that is the case.
If not, I doubt Clarbeston Road would be a suitable bus/rail interchange; Whitland might be better but a quick glance at Googlemaps suggests not. Which leaves Carmarthen.
There is certainly no point in running a Haverfordwest-Milford Haven shuttle.

 

[Mark Carter]

Train services use Clarbeston Road , the junction for both branches with trackwork to allow terminating trains and Haverfordwest as a turn round point during a normal timetable. I cannot see any reason other why work could not be done in 2 stages and certainly why buses are needed to Carmarthen other than TFL want the units / crew for elsewhere. Everyday in West Wales, there are cancellations due to stock shortage or lack of crew

 

[30907]

Train services use Clarbeston Road , the junction for both branches with trackwork to allow terminating trains and Haverfordwest as a turn round point during a normal timetable. I cannot see any reason other why work could not be done in 2 stages and certainly why buses are needed to Carmarthen other than TFL want the units / crew for elsewhere. Everyday in West Wales, there are cancellations due to stock shortage or lack of crew

My point wasn't about trains terminating, which is obviously possible, it was about bus/rail interchange, which needs off-road bus parking, good access, and ideally a staffed station.
Having checked NRE as well as the map, CLR and WTL fail on all 3, though WTL is tolerable for bus to train. (Notice that Fishguard passengers were last week given nonstop buses to Carmarthen as well as buses to Whitland.)

Your point about cancellations is fair - I notice the 0814 SWA-FGD and return were caped yesterday and today, despite the "spare" crews/units.

 

[PHILIPE]

My point wasn't about trains terminating, which is obviously possible, it was about bus/rail interchange, which needs off-road bus parking, good access, and ideally a staffed station.
Having checked NRE as well as the map, CLR and WTL fail on all 3, though WTL is tolerable for bus to train. (Notice that Fishguard passengers were last week given nonstop buses to Carmarthen as well as buses to Whitland.)

Your point about cancellations is fair - I notice the 0814 SWA-FGD and return were caped yesterday and today, despite the "spare" crews/units.

Cancelled due to shortage of units (ongoing) which has become a regular feature with this service Engineering Work or not.

 

[PHILIPE]

Train services use Clarbeston Road , the junction for both branches with trackwork to allow terminating trains and Haverfordwest as a turn round point during a normal timetable. I cannot see any reason other why work could not be done in 2 stages and certainly why buses are needed to Carmarthen other than TFL want the units / crew for elsewhere. Everyday in West Wales, there are cancellations due to stock shortage or lack of crew

Carmarthen is more convenient where you have traincrews and other staff. Passengers were already confused due to the short notice so why complicate it more. Keep it standard.

 

[Bobdogs]

What will happen to the tanker traffic to and from Murco at Hebranston?

 

[muddythefish]

What will happen to the tanker traffic to and from Murco at Hebranston?

Good question, and why has the vegetation been allowed to grow so much instead of being maintained regularly?

I know this line well, going back over 50 years, when it was so busy, and this is just another sign of its neglect.

 

[PHILIPE]

What will happen to the tanker traffic to and from Murco at Hebranston?

They are being allowed through

 

[Tomos y Tanc]

This may be a glass half full kind of comment but the duration of the closure period suggests that Network Rail are doing some serious work on a line that's looked very overgrown for quite some time. Cynics might say it comes at a convenient time for TfW given their stock shortages.

 

[Mark Carter]

There are 2 problems locally, firstly the buses are leaving about 45 mins before the train usually does , so unless passengers are aware of this problem, they arrive to a bus service that has already left. Secondly the TFW website is giving out normal train times from Monday 25th onwards and selling train tickets from Milford Haven with no mention of bus replacement. Given that the only trains to Milford Haven are really Manchester bound, why not run these from Fishguard Harbour instead during the work and connect to a shuttle mini bus at Clarbeston Road, the village bus stop is next to the station. But I am sure the cynics are right and there is a bus service to Carmarthen to allow for unit and staff shortages whilst being able to blame Network Rail for 30 years of no maintenance on this branch and Ash dieback for good measure

 

[PHILIPE]

There are 2 problems locally, firstly the buses are leaving about 45 mins before the train usually does , so unless passengers are aware of this problem, they arrive to a bus service that has already left. Secondly the TFW website is giving out normal train times and selling train tickets from Milford Haven with no mention of bus replacement. Given that the only trains to Milford Haven are really Manchester bound, why not run these from Fishguard Harbour instead during the work and connect to a shuttle mini bus at Clarbeston Road, the village bus stop is next to the station. But I am sure the cynics are right and there is a bus service to Carmarthen to allow for unit and staff shortages whilst being able to blame Network Rail for 30 years of no maintenance on this branch and Ash dieback for good measure

Let us leave out discussion re units and traincrew as they have nothing to do do with it. Network Rail decided on the work because the work had to be done and arranged it when the Fishguard route had been completed. This is is a perfectly normal type of arrangement for the buses, which are shewn on TFW Website in the ticket booking arrangements section, to leave early to enable the connection into the train at Carmarthen to be made. This is a perfectly regular type of occurrence because the bus journey would take longer. There is no need to run the trains to Fishguard in lieu at all.

 

[Mark Carter]

Let us leave out discussion re units and traincrew as they have nothing to do do with it. Network Rail decided on the work because the work had to be done and arranged it when the Fishguard route had been completed. This is is a perfectly normal type of arrangement for the buses, which are shewn on TFW Website in the ticket booking arrangements section, to leave early to enable the connection into the train at Carmarthen to be made. This is a perfectly regular type of occurrence because the bus journey would take longer. There is no need to run the trains to Fishguard in lieu at all.

I have just checked the TFW website and am able to book a ticket from Milford Haven to Cardiff at 05.55 next Monday 25th and it shows no bus and no change of train, arriving 08.40. TFW need to get their act together and decide what they are doing

 

[PHILIPE]

I have just checked the TFW website and am able to book a ticket from Milford Haven to Cardiff at 05.55 next Monday 25th and it shows no bus and no change of train, arriving 08.40. TFW need to get their act together and decide what they are doing

TFW say on their Planning system that next week's have not been updated yet. This will be due to the short notice of the plans which often get uploaded a week at a time.