To receive
an update from representatives.
·
Network
Rail
·
Transport
for Wales
·
British
Transport Police
·
Other
Minutes:
Transport
for Wales (TfW)
James
Nicholas (Business Support Partner, Transport for Wales) was welcomed to the
meeting.
Fleet of
the new Class 197 Trains
·
The
new trains would be introduced to the service in September 2026. He noted that
the Class 197 trains would be more reliable and would perform better – they had
been designed to be more accessible than the older Class 158 trains; there were
central doors on the trains that facilitated travellers to get on and off the
train with greater ease, as well as move between carriages. Despite the ability
to travel at a speed of 100mph, there would be no amendments to the timetable,
but the hope was that the trains would arrive and leave on time.
·
There
was an intention to send one of the new trains to Aberystwyth during the
summer, inviting stakeholders to see the train and meet some of the members of
the Operations Team that had been working on the project.
·
Training
for drivers was continuing, and training for train managers would commence in
June.
·
Installing
CET (toilet waste disposal tanks) had been approved for Pwllheli, with the hope
for the work to be completed in August.
·
Harrington
Humps were being installed at six stations along the coast.
·
Platforms
were being adapted at Abermaw, Harlech and Porthmadog stations.
In the
context of performance, it was reported that 482 services had been run between
April and May, which was more than any other period in the year. It was
elaborated that the performance of ‘arriving on time’ had slightly reduced, but continued to be higher than the target levels
for Wales. In terms of cancelled journeys, these were below 2%, and once again
was better than the average for Wales.
For the
summer season, there was an intention to run four-carriage trains along the
coast, depending on the impact of training crews for the new trains.
There was
an intention to run the luxury sleeper train Britannic Explorer on the
Cambrian, with a plan developed to ensure that it would not have an impact on
cancelling any services for travellers.
Transport
for Wales would pilot amendments to the coastal timetable with slightly later
departures, therefore everyone was encouraged to check times before travel.
James was
thanked for the update.
Comments
and matters arising from the ensuing discussion:
·
Transport
for Wales was congratulated on the performance improvement,
however, the number of service hours were much fewer compared with the rest of
Wales (trains ran approximately every two hours [Monday – Saturday] and less
frequently on Sundays).
·
The
intention of introducing four-carriage trains over the summer was welcomed.
·
Trains
were on time, there was an increase in use, a number of
events in local towns were supported by the use of the
train – the hope was that this could lead to trains running every hour. The
increase in use would also lead to an increase in employment.
·
There
was a request to keep the late trains on the winter timetable for 2026/27.
·
There
was concern at the number of cases where travellers did not pay, or the ticket
inspector did not reach travellers, and therefore they were not included in the
data of the number of users. The Committee did not wish to see the total ticket
sales as the only way of measuring the number of users – there was a need for
correct figures.
·
In
a recent Conference, Mark Hooper, the Welsh Government’s former Deputy Minister
for Transport, thanked Transport for Wales for the investments into connections
with Liverpool and Manchester, however it appeared that locations in Wales
required more investment. Despite congratulating this, there was a need to
ensure support for the Cambrian Railway and hope that there would be future
investment and consideration to trains every hour.
·
It
appeared that Phil Cauldwell (Harlech Crossing Manager) had retired – had
another person been appointed to replace him?
In response
to a question regarding the Machynlleth Compound and the numbers that were
employed there, it was noted that many of the train service elements were
conducted there – it was a centre for engineers, drivers, ticket inspectors,
cleaners and catering. The officer had no information available, but it was
possible to get the information and report back.
In response
to a question regarding the shortage of bins at stations, it was noted that the
recycling law meant that there was a need for three bins at each station
instead of one for general waste and one for recycling. It was elaborated that
providing a suitable place for the bins at stations was a matter that was
receiving quite some attention from the Sustainability Team who were working to
improve recycling matters; the question would also be referred to the Arriva
Trains Wales Station Manager.
In response
to a question regarding the meaning of ‘platform re-instatement’ and whether
this related to the ‘level’ of the platform or the ‘length’ of the platform, it
was noted that the length of the platform was relevant here; some stations had
a platform that was closed off and therefore there was a need to bring this
area of the platform back into use at Porthmadog, Abermaw and Harlech stations.
Network
Rail
Disappointment
was expressed once again that no representation from Network Rail was present
at the meeting to submit an update.
It was
noted that a Road Rail Partnership Group meeting was being held between Cyngor
Gwynedd Officers and Network Rail and it was possible to request information
through this group in the future.
British
Transport Police
There was
no representative from British Transport Police present at the meeting to give
an update.
The
responsibilities of British Transport Police had been divided according to area
on the Cambrian. A request was made for more information regarding this
allocation.