I fear that Andrew Davies, the Welsh Assembly Government responsible for, inter alia, Transport matters, wouldn't seem to use "his" railway service at all. He called Arriva Trains Wales's new Timetable "imaginative" on its introduction a few months ago, but "imaginative" would be the last adjective I'd use for the Sudoku style timetable which helps minimise Arriva's inputs of rolling stock and train crews, but at the expense of slowing journey times to the point where Model T Ford drivers and energetic cyclists might actually beat our trains to get where they want to go!!
He has an election coming up next May, whein it's likely that the grey haired voters that'll turn out, and Labour needs all the votes it can get if it wants to hang on in Cardiff.
Martin
ndbprr wrote:I would word that differently. "Brits to take more hard earned resources from workers so selected people get a free ride at the workers expense".
Yes, it's called re-distribution of wealth. Then again there are many who would argue that the over 60's have paid their share of taxes in their time so are entitled to a few perks in their old age. To Those reliant on just the UK state pension of £65 a week, it certainly makes a difference.
To put things into perspective, for much of its length, the Central Wales line serves towns and villages with no regular public bus services, and the portion most likely to be benefit is that between Llandovery and Knighton, perhaps as far as Craven Arms (apologies, I live 90 miles from Craven Arms, so obviously can't confirm whether they have regular 'bus services in the Teme and Clun Valleys area). But between the sparsity of service (only 4 trains each way daily), and the the low population of that area, the volume of over-60s actually taking up this offer might not be great.
Although speaking as someone who breaks 60 in August next year, and might possibly benefit from cheaper trips now and then, I do fear this initiative might end up causing the tail to wag the dog. Because the number of drivers and trains available to run the service is essentially fixed, service timetablers might in future consider Dai and Blodwen's free weekly trip to Llandrindod to meet up with Will and Bessie to be more worthy (and better vote-catching) than re-prioritising so that the young people of east Carmarthenshire / west Glamorgan, the most populous area served by the line, might get easier and more reliable access to the Higher Education facilities, jobs, entertainment attractions, etc., etc., in Cardiff and its suburbs, where it seems all the (Welsh) public investment has been concentrated in recent years.
It is ironic that when the UK's coal and steel industries were flourishing, local passenger services in those areas were suppressed so as to cope with all the freight traffic on offer. The railways serving the parts of the UK that weren't blessed with coal, however, had to work much, much, harder to attract and retain passenger traffic to generate revenue, and it's no wonder that the former Southern Railway was so good and so successful. Now that coal and steel are a shadow of their importance in employment and traffic generation, railway managers and the bean-counters in the civil service remain slow to grasp that they might be on to a winner if they went after even modest commuter markets within our rust-belt areas.
I don't suppose that the bean-counters would consider the Central Wales Line as having potential commuter market, but then have they seen the M4 at Junctions 49 to 45 at peak hours?
Oh for a really useful service that would actually serve the people !!
MArtin,
You make some interesting points there. How far north would your proposed more frequent commuter service run? Llandovery?
I gather the line from Pantyffynon to Gwaun-caer-Gwuan is reopening in the spring as a result of one of the mines it served re-opening. There was a group trying to re-open this line as a heritage line with a possible passenger service.
On days when there's a Rugby International on in Cardiff they do run at least one extra train, which does the normally freight only east curve where the Central Wales line joins the Swanseas District line, and thence to Cardiff. (Strictly speaking the Swansea District branches off the Central Wales, as that portion of the Central Wales, the LLanelli and Mnyd Mawr was the first line in Wales to use steam locos on a regular basis, opening in 1828).
Finally, and digressing slightly, I dont know if there's a regular bus service in the Clun Valley, but during the annual Clun Valley Beer Festival, which takes place the first weekend in October, the participating pubs lay on a free bus service which connects with Central Wales line trains at Broome. If only they ran the buses over to Craven Arms, that would be more useful!
Tulyar,
I can't honestly say that a "more frequent commuter service" is on my wish list, rather that the first southbound / last northbound be re-timed to serve the people who, more and more, need to travel to the Cardiff area for educational purposes and to seek better paid careers. Asking for more trains, as things stand, is seriously unrealistic, but then asking for a service to enable people to do a day's work, or attend lectures, or attend business meetings, or see a Medical Consultant, etc., etc., is hardly asking for the moon. Can you imagine if the good people of SE England couldn't get to London by 8.45 or so, and have a train home at the end of the business day? It wouldn't be a case of blood on the carpet, there'd be blood on the moon !
I just think that if we have 4 trains each way supported by the public purse, then we should minimise the call on the public purse by making as many of those services attractive to travellers who, all along, might have been willing and able to pay full fare in return for a decent service. There's nothing worse than pointless trains (pleas excuse the pun). In past years, Central Wales fares have had to be discounted to boost patronage. Now the suggestion is offer free travel. What a way to run a railway !!
The last excursion from Llandovery / Llandeilo in connection with rugby internationals ran back in the 1960s - perhaps you're mixing them up with the specials for the Royal Welsh Show.
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