Agenda item

To receive an update from representatives.

 

·        Highways Engineering and YGC  

 

·        Network Rail

 

·        Transport for Wales

 

·        British Transport Police

Highways, Engineering and YGC (Cyngor Gwynedd)

An update about the cliff road on the A493 by Y Friog.

 

Apologies had come in from Mr Steffan Jones (Head of Highways, Engineering and YGC) that he was unable to attend the meeting because the Zoom link had not worked for him, therefore he could not provide a verbal update to the Committee members. He added in an e-mail to the Chair that he would share a report on the situation with the Members.

 

Members expressed disappointment that Steffan Jones was unable to attend the meeting, and that there was lack of progress with the situation. It was noted:

 

·         That the situation must be resolved

·         That the matter of the asset's ownership must be resolved, and work together to move forward

·         The road was a class A road – a busy, connecting road

·         Part of the wall had collapsed – need to repair the barrier

·         There were plenty of promises but nothing had changed

·         Network Rail were reporting that they had not received a response to letters they had sent to the Council

 

NETWORK RAIL

 

Charlotte Harries (Network Rail Communications Manager) was welcomed to the meeting. She expressed that the service was continuing to work to improve experiences for passengers. There were no specific updates on work between Machynlleth and Pwllheli, but she referred to improvements to Newtown Station.

 

The officer was thanked for the update. The committee also gave thanks for the work that Network Rail does to ensure that the railway link is effective for passengers.

 

TRANSPORT FOR WALES⁠

 

Gail Jones (Stakeholder Manager – North and Mid Wales) was welcomed to the meeting. She stated that the findings of the survey had been presented to Transport for Wales and that work was being done to respond to those findings. She added that the survey provided valuable information about passengers' experiences, and as requested by the members, she agreed to share information about passenger numbers that use the Cambrian Coast Railway. GJ to share the information with LHE to be distributed at the next meeting. (A comment was made, in the context of interpreting the information, that we would need to consider that the railway had been shut for some months over the past three years whilst work was being carried out on the viaduct in Barmouth).

 

The members were notified that a Transport Liaison Group Meeting would be held in April and that there would be more information to follow.

 

Matters arising from the ensuing discussion.

·         Confirmation was needed regarding the use of four-carriage trains on the Cambrian in future – at present it appeared that these trains would run twice a day and only during the summer holidays – this did not respond to the need.

·         A request for four-carriage trains had been made several years ago, but nothing was happening. Despite the promise of new trains, this did not mean more trains. Although they had sought information / an update on the situation, officers changed regularly – there was a need to secure one point of contact.

·         Too many passengers had to travel standing, which subsequently prevented the ticket collector from collecting money. This meant a financial loss to the service.

 

In response to the comments, the Transport for Wales officer noted that there were no spare trains available, and every effort was being made to ensure that there were enough carriages available to respond to the need. She noted that the new trains had not been introduced as quickly as expected, but options were being considered to resolve the situation.

 

An incident on 16 February 2024 was highlighted, where a passenger had been waiting for the last train from Pwllheli (20:30). Although the train was in the station, passengers were not allowed to board the train despite the weather being atrocious. Once the doors to the carriages opened, the train appeared untidy and dirty. This was not a pleasant experience – it sent the wrong message to passengers. At the time, a message and a photograph had been shared on Twitter.

 

In response to the incident, the Transport for Wales officer noted that there were strict rules in relation to opening the doors when a train was waiting in the station, but she accepted that there were inconsistencies with this. She asked for a copy of the photographs and suggested, in future, that any bad experiences should be referred directly to her.

 

As a contact point for enquiries / comments / information about Transport for Wales, members could contact GJ through e-mail.

 

BRITISH TRANSPORT POLICE

 

No representative in attendance.