Agenda item
To receive a report by Mr Ben Davies, Arriva Trains Wales.
Minutes:
A verbal report by
Mr Ben Davies, Arriva Trains Wales was received, who noted that
·
there was an increase in the number
of passengers who used the trains and that the problem was that they did not
have enough trains;
·
Wi-fi provision would
be ensured on the Cambrian's number 150, 158 and 175 trains from September
onwards and he drew attention to the fact that some places could not receive a
connection but it was ensured that it would be possible to have a connection in
the Stations;
·
the Comedy Festival held in Machynlleth over the May Day Bank Holiday had been a
success for the service and the community;
·
the hard work of promoting and
developing the service would continue for the next two years until the
franchise would come to an end;
·
the Orange Wallet Scheme for the
needs of people with learning difficulties was very successful and that it was
now being promoted in film form throughout the country;
·
in terms of announcements through the
medium of Welsh on the Cambrian railway, it was assured that the Welsh language
was important to Arriva Trains Wales and that a bilingual service would be
arranged for every Station in Wales. It was noted further that there were no
problems in the Stations but problems had been experienced on trains due to the
distance between stations. In response to an enquiry by the Chairman regarding
the timetable to receive bilingual provision on the Cambrian railway, Mr Ben
Davies explained that it would not be possible to provide a specific date but
that he would follow the matter up and ensure that the language provision would
be included in the new franchise. It was further noted that all Arriva Trains
Wales conductors were Welsh-speakers;
·
the lift would be completed in Machynlleth Station by 18 June 2016;
·
in terms of the 8.00pm train from Machynlleth to Pwllheli not
stopping at all Stations along the line, it was explained that the main problem
was the time limit for train drivers to drive without a break (4 hours) and if
they had to stop at the different stations, they would exceed the time
permitted to drive. It was suggested
that the best way forward was to discuss further with Mr Ken Skates, Assembly
Member and an appeal was made for the Member of Parliament - Dwyfor/Meirionnydd and the Assembly Member - Dwyfor/Meirionnydd to pursue the matter as well;
·
discussions continued with Gwynedd
Council regarding the Tourist Information Centre in Barmouth,
as the Council was eager to close it and it currently sold tickets for Arriva
Trains Wales for the Cambrian railway;
·
a new trainline
"app" for mobile phones was available to order tickets - "Arriva
Train Tickets";
·
in terms of low platforms, Arriva
Trains Wales had undertaken work to repair 27 of them and that more required
work;
Resolved:
To accept and note the report.
(b) To send a letter of congratulations to
Ken Skates, Assembly Member - Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure,
Welsh Government and to invite him to attend a meeting of this Committee in
future.