Aberystwyth - London making a return?

[rowan826]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/7792091.stm

[arabiandisco]

It's all making the singling of the Coventry - Kenilworth - Leamington line look like a really clever thing to have done...

[GlennMitchell]

Could they run 2 units up to Machynlleth and then one up the coast instead of just Aber Would make getting to the ffestiniog much easier

Glenn

[mendes]

If you use the direct service outlined it means you can't break the journey at Wolverhampton for a Roast Pork Bap to take on the train and a skinful of Holden's finest in the legendary Great Western pub.

[abirm873]

Hi Guys

Could they run 2 units up to Machynlleth and then one up the coast instead of just Aber Would make getting to the ffestiniog much easier

Glenn

I believe they already do this and split the 2 units at Machynlleth.

I think this is a good idea
Is it going to go up the WCML or is it going to go over the GWR route from Marylebone/Paddington like the old CCE did.
If it was to go up the GWR route then that would make it really convenient for passengers in towns such as Banbury and High Wycombe to get a train to Wales.
Cheers Ashley

[GlennMitchell]

I believe they already do this and split the 2 units at Machynlleth.
Cheers Ashley

I meant from London as opposed to from Birmingham That would be great. The current service was recently extended from Birmingham New St to Birmingham Intl. I think it was a move to increase reliability, as I saw a timetable and if I remember rightly it gave about 30-40 mins to get from New St to the airport.

Glenn

[abirm873]

I believe they already do this and split the 2 units at Machynlleth.
Cheers Ashley

I meant from London as opposed to from Birmingham That would be great. The current service was recently extended from Birmingham New St to Birmingham Intl. I think it was a move to increase reliability, as I saw a timetable and if I remember rightly it gave about 30-40 mins to get from New St to the airport.

Glenn

Hi Glenn
14 minutes is allowed to get from New Street to International, the service leaves New Street at XX36 and gets to International at XX50
I understand what you mean now about the splitting but i dont think that will happen as i dont think there is the market for an hourly service up the Coast and they dont seem to want to use Porthmadog and Barmouth for passing trains, they seem to want to use just Tywyn and Harlech.
Cheers Ashley

[GlennMitchell]

Apparently they used to pass at Porthmadog as well but they dropped it. An hourly service wouldbe great, but as you said an hourly service wouldn't be feasible. (Possibly during the holidays though)

Glenn

[abirm873]

There is 1 early morning train that passes at Porthmadog and it is kind of an hourly service with 1 train leaving Pwllheli at 06:21 and the next 1 leaving at 7:31. In the summer the residents and tourists would be begging for an hourly service as it would ease crowding. 1 summer sunday i recall there must have been 100 people trying to get on the train at Talybont and there was barely enough room for everyone.
Cheers Ashley

[GlennMitchell]

I think and hourly service to Aberystwyth could be good as the trains are normally packed between new street and Machynlleth and then a lot quieter up the coast.

Glenn

[abirm873]

I think and hourly service to Aberystwyth could be good as the trains are normally packed between new street and Machynlleth and then a lot quieter up the coast.

Glenn

They are proposing an hourly service to Aberystwyth which could start soon.
They need a couple more loops, which i think were going to be added at Forden, Dovey Junction and somewhere else which i cant remember.
It depends what time you travel, the busiest service ive been on was the 16:33 off New Street which was full and got even fuller at the Wolves. This suddenly emptied at Shrewsbury and we were the only 3 in our carraige until Caersws.
They arent usually very full, but this could be because ive never travelled in the summer.
Cheers Ashley

[GlennMitchell]

Aaah right. I went up to the Ffestiniog in April at the start of the Easter hols (I was at college at the time) and it was the end of the uni hols and the train (14.33 ex new st) was so packed full of students going back to uni in aberystwyth that all 4 coaches carried on to Aber from Machynlleth and I had to get off there and wait for 5 mins while they pulled another unit out of the sidings. There are often a lot of tourists in summer as well, especially around Barmouth, I have found.

Glenn

[abirm873]

Aaah right. I went up to the Ffestiniog in April at the start of the Easter hols (I was at college at the time) and it was the end of the uni hols and the train (14.33 ex new st) was so packed full of students going back to uni in aberystwyth that all 4 coaches carried on to Aber from Machynlleth and I had to get off there and wait for 5 mins while they pulled another unit out of the sidings. There are often a lot of tourists in summer as well, especially around Barmouth, I have found.

Glenn

The 14:33 From New Street was a pain, I tried to catch that service about 5 times from New Street to go on holiday and every time it was cancelled and started at Wolverhampton. There are loads of tourists at Barmouth and you are often standing when leaving on a return service towards Pwllheli as the trains dont have the capacity, maybe adding a center car like on the Northern 158s would work? What do you think mate?

Cheers Ashley

[GlennMitchell]

Good idea. That would add a good few more seats without having to increase frequency. The first time I went up the cambrian the train was terminated at Wolves on the way in. I asked what to do at the station and by the time I got to wolves (there were quite a few others as well) the train had left on time so we had to get a slow train to Shresbury and then a bus to machynlleth and by the time we got there there was only 5 people going up the coast so they gave us a minibus. Someone at the ffestiniog said that if the departure boards at new street show any delay on those services just get on the first train to Wolves regardless.

Glenn

[abirm873]

Good idea. That would add a good few more seats without having to increase frequency. The first time I went up the cambrian the train was terminated at Wolves on the way in. I asked what to do at the station and by the time I got to wolves (there were quite a few others as well) the train had left on time so we had to get a slow train to Shresbury and then a bus to machynlleth and by the time we got there there was only 5 people going up the coast so they gave us a minibus. Someone at the ffestiniog said that if the departure boards at new street show any delay on those services just get on the first train to Wolves regardless.

Glenn

That is exactly right as New Street never seem bothered about telling you the Arriva service was cancelled. That never happened to me though and i always managed to make the Arriva service. 1 time though, a servere delay was shown on the 18:18 arrival from Aberystwyth and it wasnt gonna arrive until 18:55. The train was shown to pull into platform 3B, at 18:55 a London Midland Turbostar pulls in from Shrewsbury to 3B so that train got packed with all the Aberystwyth passengers. I stood back and watched the 4 car 158 pull into Platform 2B. Only then was there an announcement over the tannoy and it left all the other people on the 170 stuck on it. We were the only people in the coach all the way to Wolverhampton. I think they only used to cancel the train if the service was going to leave New Street more than 15 minutes late so as not to delay the Coast Train.
Cheers Ashley