South Wales Echo Article: 'I Paid £7 More For Train Ticket Taking A Shorter Journey'

[krus_aragon]

Indeed, see this from January 2007: https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/first-may-be-the-losers-in-their-own-fares-war.11064/

Thanks for digging that out. Slightly before my time here.

 

[Envoy]

Thanks for the confirmation.

By the way, iKB is out of date as the service is now the Traws Cymru branded T9 operated by New Adventure Travel (NAT). Through fares are available but not calculated as the Cardiff Central fare plus an add-on any more. Timetables linked from this page https://www.natgroup.co.uk/service-area/cardiff

I just tested the Swansea to Cardiff Airport (XCF) journey out on the Cross Country site and it said that the passenger would go from Swansea to Cardiff via the Main Line and then catch the (T9) bus from Cardiff to the Airport. So, we have 2 rail websites saying different things! The Cross Country way is absolutely bonkers - as well as being expensive. The quickest way by public transport to get from Swansea (or anywhere west of Bridgend), is to use the train to/from Bridgend and then change for the direct train along the coast via Llantwit Major to Rhoose station for the 1 mile bus ride into the Airport. Who in their right mind would want to go further east into Cardiff only to have to return south-west by bus from the congested centre of Cardiff?

 

[Kite159]

I just tested the Swansea to Cardiff Airport (XCF) journey out on the Cross Country site and it said that the passenger would go from Swansea to Cardiff via the Main Line and then catch the (T9) bus from Cardiff to the Airport. So, we have 2 rail websites saying different things! The Cross Country way is absolutely bonkers - as well as being expensive. The quickest way by public transport to get from Swansea (or anywhere west of Bridgend), is to use the train to/from Bridgend and then change for the direct train along the coast via Llantwit Major to Rhoose station for the 1 mile bus ride into the Airport. Who in their right mind would want to go further east into Cardiff only to have to return south-west by bus from the congested centre of Cardiff?

Maybe those not wanting to hang around Bridgend for upto 45 minutes for the hourly train via the coast?

 

[Dai Corner]

I just tested the Swansea to Cardiff Airport (XCF) journey out on the Cross Country site and it said that the passenger would go from Swansea to Cardiff via the Main Line and then catch the (T9) bus from Cardiff to the Airport. So, we have 2 rail websites saying different things! The Cross Country way is absolutely bonkers - as well as being expensive. The quickest way by public transport to get from Swansea (or anywhere west of Bridgend), is to use the train to/from Bridgend and then change for the direct train along the coast via Llantwit Major to Rhoose station for the 1 mile bus ride into the Airport. Who in their right mind would want to go further east into Cardiff only to have to return south-west by bus from the congested centre of Cardiff?

I thought I'd try the GWR and TfW planners as they are the trains you'd use.

GWR seem to get it right with a 1h 28m journey departing Swansea at xx55 ish (TfW Manchester train) and even take into account the shuttle bus timetable, arriving at the airport at xx23

TfW doesn't recognise Cardiff Airport, Cardiff Air Bus, XCF or anything similar as a destination.

 

[Envoy]

Maybe those not wanting to hang around Bridgend for upto 45 minutes for the hourly train via the coast?

It would certainly help to have a half hourly service via the coast. On Sundays things are even worse with one train every other hour. They have no plans to increase this poor service rate until 2023.

Things are not quite so bad as you imply. The train comes off the line from the Airport into Bridgend at x39 minutes and usually a Manchester to west Wales train departs at x59 minutes - although the Cardiff to Swansea stopper has just been missed by a few minutes. Going to the Airport from the west; a west Wales to Manchester train usually arrives Bridgend at x26 minutes whilst the departure for Rhoose (Airport) departs at x42 minutes. So, the biggest time waste at Bridgend is for those heading west rather than to the Airport.

 

[Envoy]

I thought I'd try the GWR and TfW planners as they are the trains you'd use.

GWR seem to get it right with a 1h 28m journey departing Swansea at xx55 ish (TfW Manchester train) and even take into account the shuttle bus timetable, arriving at the airport at xx23

TfW doesn't recognise Cardiff Airport, Cardiff Air Bus, XCF or anything similar as a destination.

Interesting! You would think that Transport for Wales - being linked to the Welsh Government - who own Cardiff Airport, would recognise their own airport? So, you can type in Bristol Airport and up it comes on the rail sites with the fare (bus) from Temple Meads added onto the rail ticket to give one through journey - but this does not appear to happen for Cardiff Airport and certainly not to/from the west. (Rhoose station is also only 1 mile from Cardiff Airport whilst Temple Meads is several miles from Bristol Airport).