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TfW restoring most of its pre-March 2020 TT from 13/9

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Cardiff123

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TfW have taken the plunge and confirmed they are restoring much of their pre-March 2020 timetable (in south Wales at least) from 13th September. They must be confident the 769s will be reliable enough to work most Penarth - Rhymney diagrams, because if they aren't, I can't see how they'll cope.

 
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WelshBluebird

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We shall see what happens! Good news finally though, even if I do find it somewhat interesting they don't make any mention of covid or the service returning to what it uses to be - hell if you were none the wiser you'd be forgiven for thinking this was a genuine service improvement due to the wording.
 

CaergwrleKen

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South of Hereford maybe yes..

Nothing changing in the ‘North’ apart from reinstatement of some Holyhead-Cardiff services south beyond Shrewsbury. Still no Llandudno-Manchester, Liverpool remain 2 hourly, Blaenau remains reduced and Bidston remain slightly reduced. A couple of 158s will be saved with the Cambrian Coast being closed so that should reduce the necessity for 150 substitutions on the Marches/Birmingham etc.
 

Llandudno

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South of Hereford maybe yes..

Nothing changing in the ‘North’ apart from reinstatement of some Holyhead-Cardiff services south beyond Shrewsbury. Still no Llandudno-Manchester, Liverpool remain 2 hourly, Blaenau remains reduced and Bidston remain slightly reduced. A couple of 158s will be saved with the Cambrian Coast being closed so that should reduce the necessity for 150 substitutions on the Marches/Birmingham etc.
No levelling up in north Wales!

At least Conwy will have a semi regular train service at last!
 

mmh

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No levelling up in north Wales!

At least Conwy will have a semi regular train service at last!
We shall see. I don't believe a single word they say when it comes to Conwy.

They've (and by this I do not mean the station and on train staff, who are as great as we've always been fortunate to have in North Wales) pretty much gone out of their way to treat the travelling public in North Wales with utter contempt since they found Covid-19 as an excuse to do so.

Expect something like a 3 train a day service at Conwy, at ludicrous times. Coupled with random Llandudno to Chester fasts meaning 2 hour gaps in the timetable at peak time. Just like now. Fun, when quote often they cancel the first stopper from Llandudno Junction leaving both passengers and staff bemused as to why the fast can't be made to stop.

They are truly atrocious. I will make a new thread on here if / when I ever get a reply from them and my MS about their treatment of North Wales passengers over the past year.
 

185

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From that date they are still abandoning their passengers at Crewe off 1W76 2015 Cardiff-Manchester... 'oh don't worry Northern will pick em up' - the Cardiff often rolls in late well after 2307, misses the makeshift Northern connection at 2312, passengers sat for over 90 minutes until the 0044 Manchester arrives, which is often a bus.

"8 minute minimum interc.... err... we'll just gloss over that" :lol:
 
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sd0733

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From that date they are still abandoning their passengers at Crewe off 1W76 2015 Cardiff-Manchester... 'oh don't worry Northern will pick em up' - the Cardiff often rolls in late well after 2307, misses the makeshift Northern connection at 2312, passengers sat for over 90 minutes until the 0044 Manchester arrives, which is often a bus.

"8 minute minimum interc.... err... we'll just gloss over that" :lol:
I cant see that one coming back for a while now, it's not in the base December 2021-May 2022 timetable either.
The path back via platform 14 and Warrington is an issue as a huge chunk of drivers now have no competency that way, the previous departure was booked that way a few weeks ago and was cancelled every single day that week such is the issue.
The unit also now attaches to the Brum to Holyhead as an extra unit is required in Holyhead in the mornings which is scuppered if it doesn't get to Crewe until 1am.
 
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wobman

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We shall see. I don't believe a single word they say when it comes to Conwy.

They've (and by this I do not mean the station and on train staff, who are as great as we've always been fortunate to have in North Wales) pretty much gone out of their way to treat the travelling public in North Wales with utter contempt since they found Covid-19 as an excuse to do so.

Expect something like a 3 train a day service at Conwy, at ludicrous times. Coupled with random Llandudno to Chester fasts meaning 2 hour gaps in the timetable at peak time. Just like now. Fun, when quote often they cancel the first stopper from Llandudno Junction leaving both passengers and staff bemused as to why the fast can't be made to stop.

They are truly atrocious. I will make a new thread on here if / when I ever get a reply from them and my MS about their treatment of North Wales passengers over the past year.

Unfortunately TFW don't have the staff or rolling stock to achieve a full timetable of services at this time, there's still an ongoing covid based backlog of training to catch up on.

Plus there's a huge amount of traction training for the 230 & 197 units that needs to take place, the 230's need all Chester drivers trained and 2 guard depots. Then the 197's need all depots outside the valleys training on them.
 

Rhydgaled

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Are any of the 'even hour' arrivals/departures at Aberystwyth being reinstated, or anything on the Fishguard line?
 

TravelDream

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I wouldn't say that this announcement is just South Wales/ south of Hereford.
It's really just the core Valley Lines services that are back up to pre-Covid levels. Other routes are seeing some additions, but not as much.

Some will be very happy as Conwy station is officially back.
 

Rhydgaled

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Nothing yet. We will have to wait until December to see.
Just one additional on the Fishguard line; 18:58 arrival from Cardiff Central, 19:05 departure to Carmarthen.

I've used Monday 13th December as an example HERE
Nothing in the September timetable then, as TravelDream posted above it seems September is mostly just the ValleyLines going back to pre-COVID levels with a cut-down COVID-era service remaining elsewhere.
 

mrcheek

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Well I might be selfish, but this is splendid news, since I'm planning a tour of the valley lines next month.
The most under-rated scenic lines in Britain!
 

Cardiff123

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Well I might be selfish, but this is splendid news, since I'm planning a tour of the valley lines next month.
The most under-rated scenic lines in Britain!
Some advice - if you want to avoid crowds, travel during the weekday daytime (10am - 4pm), and avoid the last week of October as that's the schools half term. Whilst it's great services on the Valleys are increasing again, it's highly likely almost everything will be 2 carriages, esp if the 769s continue to misbehave.
 
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Dai Corner

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Some advice - go during the weekday daytime, and avoid the last week of October as that's the schools half term.
... and remember the Valleys Day Ranger (or whatever it's called this month) is valid on Stagecoach buses. Handy at times if train timetables don't work out or there are cancellations. Some, such as the 172 Aberdare-Bridgend and 1 Merthyr-Bargoed, are scenic too.
 

mrcheek

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Some advice - if you want to avoid crowds, travel during the weekday daytime (10am - 4pm), and avoid the last week of October as that's the schools half term. Whilst it's great services on the Valleys are increasing again, it's highly likely almost everything will be 2 carriages, esp if the 769s continue to misbehave.
yep, already taken that into account! I cant take time off work during school holidays anyway, so that works out OK. and I plan to use Valleys Day Rangers, so cant travel until after 9.30 in any case.
 

CaergwrleKen

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Annoyingly, the supposed new hauled 1W91 is still due LLJ at 1032 despite losing the Shotton call, exactly the same time as the Blaenau branch departs..
 

Llandudno

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Annoyingly, the supposed new hauled 1W91 is still due LLJ at 1032 despite losing the Shotton call, exactly the same time as the Blaenau branch departs..
No doubt intentional to reduce loading on the Blaenau branch, so they will only need to hire one bus from Llew Jones every time they cancel the train service due to ‘lack of resource availability’

Abject!
 

craigybagel

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A note for all the people concerned about more services being restored in the South than in the North.

Thanks to Covid, training in the North is well behind where it should be. It was suspended completely for several months last year, and for most of the time since then it's been running at a slower pace than normal.

Obviously these issues have occurred in the South as well, but because the valleys are a much simpler network it's not had anywhere as big an impact. AFAIK all trainee drivers down there are qualified on the entire Valleys network from day one. All they've had to worry about down there is 769 training, and given the reduced service level it's not been too hard to get enough staff trained on them to staff a reliable service (769 unreliability notwithstanding).

In the North it's different; the route cards are longer and the traction cards are more diverse. Trainees need more training - and that's before we add in the new traction coming in.

Shrewsbury, Crewe and Chester all have a backlog of drivers who need route learning to be fully productive. At the same time, the latter two depots also have traction training going on (MKIVs and 230s respectively).

They're getting through the training as fast as possible (there have been days when all 3 MKIV sets have been out - 2 for training and 1 in passenger service) but it's going to be a while before there's enough staff available to staff the full timetable - and also permit 197 training to take place.
 

mmh

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Unfortunately TFW don't have the staff or rolling stock to achieve a full timetable of services at this time, there's still an ongoing covid based backlog of training to catch up on.

Plus there's a huge amount of traction training for the 230 & 197 units that needs to take place, the 230's need all Chester drivers trained and 2 guard depots. Then the 197's need all depots outside the valleys training on them.

Unfortunately TFW don't have the staff or rolling stock to achieve a full timetable of services at this time, there's still an ongoing covid based backlog of training to catch up on.

Plus there's a huge amount of traction training for the 230 & 197 units that needs to take place, the 230's need all Chester drivers trained and 2 guard depots. Then the 197's need all depots outside the valleys training on them.
None of that explains non-stopping patterns, nor refusing to use local door operation at one station when it's in use at another. Stopping at Conwy does not require additional staff, nor units, nor training.

Thanks to Covid, training in the North is well behind where it should be. It was suspended completely for several months last year, and for most of the time since then it's been running at a slower pace than normal.
What is this training? We have the same trains, and the same staff, as we have had for years.
 
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wobman

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None of that explains non-stopping patterns, nor refusing to use local door operation at one station when it's in use at another. Stopping at Conwy does not require additional staff, nor units, nor training.


What is this training? We have the same trains, and the same staff, as we have had for years.
Conwy is a busy station for local door operation, the risk to a guard was high during the pandemic. They had to walk through a train to access the local door, this was classified as high risk for staff. If the unit is a 2 car only they can stop, but with a reduced timetable the units have been strengthened to 3 or 4 car sets. On the N Wales coast there was NO local door operations during the pandemic, only recently have things returned to normal.

During the pandemic staff were staying at home due to health reasons and others had covid, plus in the 2 years staff have retired and moved on but recruitment hasn't kept up with this. So there's staff shortages asca result. Things are never as simple as they seem.
 

PHILIPE

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What is this training? We have the same trains, and the same staff, as we have had for years.

Mark 4s, 230s and 197s. Staff have been retiring during the pandemic and their replacements have been unable to train due to social distancing. Post #21 explains in more detail
 

mmh

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Mark 4s, 230s and 197s. Staff have been retiring during the pandemic and their replacements have been unable to train due to social distancing. Post #21 explains in more detail
That still doesn't explain why a lack of staff prevents a train's doors being operated "local door" at one station by the very same staff who will do exactly that at another station. The train *is* running. It's just not *stopping.*
 

PHILIPE

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That still doesn't explain why a lack of staff prevents a train's doors being operated "local door" at one station by the very same staff who will do exactly that at another station. The train *is* running. It's just not *stopping.*

Any lack of staff and door opening have got nothing to do with each other
 

wobman

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Local door operation on TFW units is from a middle door of the front carriage of a train, the train in question does not fit at the station due to the units length. For example Llanfair PG and Valley are only able to accommodate a 1 car unit and Conwy only fits a 2 car unit.

We go round in circles on this debate, it's been explained by traincrew in every way possible with all the valid reasons but some people still don't agree that protecting front line staff during a pandemic is important.

Gladly the restrictions have lifted and local door operation has resumed on the N Wales coast line.
 

Jim

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Local door operation on TFW units is from a middle door of the front carriage of a train, the train in question does not fit at the station due to the units length. For example Llanfair PG and Valley are only able to accommodate a 1 car unit and Conwy only fits a 2 car unit.

We go round in circles on this debate, it's been explained by traincrew in every way possible with all the valid reasons but some people still don't agree that protecting front line staff during a pandemic is important.

Gladly the restrictions have lifted and local door operation has resumed on the N Wales coast line.

So now cases are going up again, it's safer for the traincrew to call there?
 

wobman

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So now cases are going up again, it's safer for the traincrew to call there?
If the trains are too busy it's at the disgression of the guard whether to stop or not at local stop stations.

Some people on this forum wanted local door operation to continue throughout the pandemic/lockdowns, luckily common Sence prevailed on that matter.
 

PHILIPE

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So now cases are going up again, it's safer for the traincrew to call there?

TFW follow Welsh Government guidance and restrictions have been removed similar to the UK as a whole. Was the door situation ever such a risk or was it a case of being overcautious as only TFW had a non-call policy ?
 
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