Welcome to Ask the MD live

The live Q&A session is now closed.

I will continue to post answers to the questions already submitted.

I am grateful to everyone who has taken part.

Thank you

Tim Bell
Managing Director Arriva Trains Wales

Please note: This page will refresh automatically every 2 minutes to display the latest questions and answers posted

Q1)
I would like to raise a question that has been asked of me by a local resident.
The Saver Return fare between Hereford and Cardiff appears to be out of line with saver returns to other destinations a similar distance from Hereford. At £24.80 it is 72% higher than the single fare. Destinations a similar distance from Hereford, such as Shrewsbury and Birmingham, have broadly similar single and day return fares but much cheaper Saver Returns at only 20 – 30% above the single. It is appreciated that fares are not set solely by distance but one wonders what it is about Cardiff that appears to justify a premium for passengers who do not return the same day?

Please note that this is no so much a question about the overall level of fares but more about why only the saver return between these points carries a premium.
Jim Davies

A1)
Dear Mr Davies, You are correct, there is no fixed relationship between pricing of different ticket types. The reason for this difference is that this fare is part of an overall pricing structure. On this route there are currently no rebooking anomalies. If the fare was reduced it would create rebooking anomalies between Shrewsbury and Cardiff where it would be cheaper to rebook at Hereford. My team could investigate the option of increasing the single fare to make the relationship between Singles and Savers more similar, but this would be contrary to what your local resident would want.

Q2)
When will ATW complete its review of Welsh & English announcements at stations?

A Commons motion last July asked for the policy of Welsh before English to be reviewed; Rhondda MP Chris Bryant quoted an example of trains being missed at Cardiff, due to platform changes being announced in Welsh first.

This problem also occurs at Newport, if trains are switched to Platform
1 at the last moment. Some announcements for West Wales trains go on and on and on; by the time it's announced in English, there's a concern the train may leave before passengers can get across the footbridge!

ATW undertook to review its policy; when will the result of this review be announced?

I've no issue with bilingual announcements per se, but for important (time critical) announcements, the first one should be in the language understood by the majority of users of each particular station.
Paul Harley

A2)
Dear Paul, I recall discussing this matter with you at the Meet the Manager event held at Newport station last year. I am pleased to advise that we have now completed a review of this topic, and the subject has been discussed at ATW Board level. The result of these discussions is that at present, we have no immediate plans to change our policy on the format of announcements.

I recognise that there is strong feeling as to which language is announced first – however we have not received significant correspondence on this issue, perhaps indicating that on the whole this is not something that causes great concern for our customers.

As a company, we will continue to monitor any feedback on this issue.

Q3)
Living in Ferryside I would very much like to catch a train to Milford Haven or Haverfordwest. However, apart from catching the 07.25am from Ferryside I am going to have about a 75 minute wait in Carmarthen. This does not seem to me to represent a 'joined up railway'! Can something be done regarding which trains from Manchester stop in Carmarthen and those that do go through to Milford Haven. How about it?
David Jones

A3)
Dear Mr Jones, I do appreciate that not all journey opportunities in West Wales are optimised, and although it is not a quick solution I will ask my Train Planning team to review the entire West Wales timetable for the May 2009 timetable change. I hope in this way we will be able to better meet your journey aspirations with the resources we have available.

Q4)
Could the M.D. please advise what the policy on lights is on trains formed of 4 cars or more in service. The reason I ask this question over the winter period I have travelled on a service that was formed of 4 cars & all the passengers forced into the front 2 cars with the rear 2 cars not being used.
Anon

A4)
I can advise that if lights are defective in a train carriage, for safety reasons our train crew will – where practicable – transfer passengers into another part of the train. This is to minimise customers tripping or falling when moving around the train if it is dark outside or is passing through an area of poor light such as a tunnel. Also we need to consider how easily it would be to vacate the train if we needed to do so in an emergency, and adequate lighting is an important part of that.

Q5)
I'd like to hear your comments on the following. While I appreciate that Arriva Trains Wales has introduced the four-carriage trains across the valleys line network, there doesn't seem to be consistency at peak commuter times; there are still occasions when it is virtually impossible to board Aberdare-bound trains at Cathays during rush hour because the train is carrying only two carriages and is full to capacity. Those people travelling to stations beyond Pontypridd have no choice but to squeeze onto an already packed train. It's a pretty unpleasant way for customers to travel and not particularly safe. There also seems to be a lack of foresight at weekends when matches are on at the Millenium Stadium - more carriages please!

Can anything can be done by Arriva to stop people using Cwmbach station carpark to sell their cars? I know other rail users find it very annoying. I have filled in an online feedback form twice and have never had a reply. Often about half of the car parking spaces are taken by cars for sale. For a while there was a burger van there too!
Alex Ward

A5)
Dear Mr Ward, I am sorry to hear of the difficulties you have experienced. Arriva Trains Wales deploys the trains we have according to where capacity is needed most. We get this information from the regular passenger counts that we do, and we share this information with the Welsh Assembly Government. With them, we then agree which trains will be four cars from the finite number of trains that we have available. We do our best to ensure that even in peak times, passengers do not stand for more than 20 minutes, although I do appreciate even this time frame may cause some discomfort and may not meet your expectations. I will ask my Train Planning team to check the data we have for the Aberdare services to make sure we have done all that we can.

In terms of services to serve special events at the Millennium Stadium, I assure you that we deploy our entire fleet on such days, and I do appreciate that having worked these events that even with all of our trains in operation there are still times when the demand exceeds the capacity we are able to provide. I can though give you my assurance that we will continue our policy of providing as many units as we can for events at the stadium.

As regards Cwmbach car park, this falls outside of our lease area for the station that is the area within our legal control. Nonetheless, I fully agree that misuse of this facility is unacceptable, and I will pass this report on to the station manager responsible for this area so that he may follow this up with those responsible. Thank you for drawing this to my attention.

My Customer Relations team have looked through their records from the past 18 months, and unfortunately your last two messages do not seem to have reached us correctly. If you would prefer to contact us by direct e-mail in future rather than use the web form, you can do so to customer.relations@arrivatrainswales.co.uk.

Q6)
Cambrian Services extended to Birmingham International. How is this going to work, bearing in mind that if the basis service is unchanged 4-car Cambrian services will form Chester trains and v.v.?
Mike Stone

A6)
Dear Mr Stone, In order to extend our services through to Birmingham International and provide passengers on the Cambrian route with a link to this important regional airport and Birmingham International Arena, there will be a number of services on the Cambrian line to and from Shrewsbury which will post-December 2008 operate as two car services. At Shrewsbury, the trains will be formed into 4 cars so that the busiest part of the route will have the most capacity. The additional dwell time that we will then have at Birmingham International will provide more opportunity for us to get through the difficult corridor into Birmingham that in the past has resulted in customers being de-trained at Wolverhampton as we have lost our 7 ½ minute slot into Birmingham New Street.

Q7)
As a regular user of services on the coast section, and a passenger who applauds the comfort that the "158" units provide, why are the services so incredibly slow. On every service that venture from both Machynlleth and Pwllheli, the timings end to end are pathetic, with stops at Harlech, Tywyn and Barmouth for up to ten minutes and more. Whilst I understand the need for some of these srvices to cross each other at the locations mentioned, there seems to be needless waiting time at some stations, merely to keep to the timetable, and I assume to massage the performance statistics. Or am I too cynical ?

One other annoying feature of the current timetable, is the poor connection into the last down service from Machynlleth to Pwllheli, the 21.17 departure.
On a recent journey from Cardiff, an excellent service,( the 17.13 departure from the capital,connecting into the 19.30 to Aberystwyth at Shrewsbury), the twenty five minutes wait at Machynlleth for the onward service to Llandanwg, the 21.17 departure, is hardly an appealing prospect for any would be passenger, travelling home. In British Rail management, this service would follow the Aberystwyth departure, as soon as Dovey Junction had been cleared,
or indeed the change itself would be made at the junction.

With a minimum of fuss, and negligible expense, minor changes to the current timetable, would result in a service which would more than adequately, meet the needs of current and prospective customers. The present timings do little to entice people away from their cars.

I apologise for the negative tone of the communication, but nevertheless would welcome your response.
Ted Thomas

A7)
Dear Mr Thomas, The reason for building in station dwell time on the Cambrian coast is to accommodate the large number of request stops. When these are used by passengers timings are actually very tight but as you correctly write when not used the times waiting at stations does give a false impression of “slack”. In addition as much of this line is single-track, delays to one service can significantly disrupt not only trains operating in the opposite direction, but also trains following it. By building in some recovery time, the effects of minor delays can be kept to a minimum.

I do appreciate the point concerning connections with the last service between Machynlleth and Pwllheli, and I will ask my timetable planners to see what can be done. However the timetable will need to be re-written when the hourly service is introduced in the future.

Q8)
Why do we have to use an 0870 number to book tickets over the phone,it costs quite a lot to use the phone, especially if there is a problem, and why can no-one tell me when I can buy Advance tickets? I have bought my outward tickets,at a good price I might add, but as yet am unable to buy my return tickets as the Advance tickets have not yet been released, and I am told to keep ringing back to find out when they are {on an 0870 number!]
Eric Bennett

A8)
Dear Mr Bennett, The 0870 number is not a premium rate service, rather it is a national rate number that costs around 6p per minute, or 1.5p per minute after 6pm. Tickets can also be booked online at www.arrivtrainswales.co.uk, where there are no additional costs. As to advance purchase tickets, our practice is to release these 12 weeks before the date of travel, but it can be later than this if for example there is a late extension of engineering work.

Q9)
The earliest train at Haverfordwest we can now catch using public transport from St Davids,is the 0925 one. As on a previous question you have said you will ask for the West Wales to be re-assessed, perhaps you could look at either making the 0725 train leave later [say 0825], or perhaps [heaven forbid!] an extra train. At times, the 0925 train leaves Haverfordwest pretty full, an extra earlier train would be very helpful
Eric Bennett

A9)
Thank you for your suggestion, and as part of our review of timetables for West Wales services next year we will bear your comments in mind.

Q10)

1) Arriva Trains Wales runs some long haul routes. Manchester-Cardiff and Holyhead-Cardiff. These services are used by a large number of business people who would welcome "First Class" facilities to enable them to work whilst travelling. They are prepared to pay a premium fare for these facilities. This would also mean getting a seat on some services. Almost all other long haul companies provide this quality of service. When are Arriva Trains Wales going to provide this type of quality service ?

2) The cancellation policy to services in the Chester/ North Wales area is apparently dictated by people in Cardiff who appear to have little local knowledge. For example the cancellation of a short 20 min service known as the Chester Crewe shuttle, which appears to be the first choice for an cancellations, is a critical connecting and very busy service for passengers travelling all over the UK. Cancellation of this link service should be the last resort not the first choice. Please can you explain your cancellation policy?

3) In North Wales we are again approaching the normally over crowded season for services. What arrangements have you made to alleviate this situation?
John/Pam Lyons

A10)

1) I am pleased to advise that Arriva Trains Wales are currently evaluating with the Welsh Assembly Government the options for a Business Class-type service between North and South Wales and in addition to enhanced passenger facilities we would hope also to improve journey times. While this is likely to be a limited service to start with, it is possible that this may expand over time.

2) In terms of cancellation policy, I can confirm that we do not intentionally cancel specific services. Indeed, any form of cancellation on any of our services is a last and final resort, where all other opportunities to restore the service to the advertised timetable have been exhausted. The line between Crewe and Chester is a very busy one in terms of the number of trains using it each day, and any delay to one train can quickly lead to widespread delays to others using the line. I can assure you that there is no particularly disadvantageous cancellation policy applying between North and South Wales.

3) We currently reallocate rolling stock from South Wales to North Wales and other tourist areas during the high summer season to supplement capacity on these routes at the expense of the generally quieter commuter routes. I do appreciate that even these measures are not always sufficient to meet on the day demands, particularly to the beach resorts on sunny days. Arriva Trains Wales currently uses all the resources available within the current franchise and funding structure during the summer months, and we continue to review these issues each year with the Welsh Assembly Government.

Thank you also for your following live comment:

Q11)I would comment about one of your answers re Welsh language announcements especially with platform alterations. The solution would appear to me to be that you announce the headline destination and time in both Welsh and English as a platform alteration only, then revert to the standard announcement with a stopping pattern etc.

By the way it would be good when we eventually get a system at Chester that gives information on screens that work and a PA system that actually can be heard. This I understand is imminent. John/Pam Lyons

A11) I would just advise that the split between Welsh and English announcements will not be changed at this moment in time, however I will keep this under close review.

I am pleased to advise that the new Customer Information System at Chester will go live in the next two weeks.

Q12)
I am quite an often train user when travelling to Merseyside or to Lancashire. Therefore usually the 1st leg of my journey i either travel with yourselves or Virgin Trains. On May 22nd i travelled to Liverpool on my way there i used Virgin Trains(pedolino). A smooth comfortable journey to chester, very clean, very tidy and a very modern interior and design. On my way back i used a Arriva Trains Wales. The Train looked tatty from the outside as if it looked like it needed the paint stripping and a new coat of paint applied. The interior looked like it needed a complete overhaul and the journey home was anything but the smooth journey i experienced on the way there.

My question is to you.

Is when will Arriva Trains Wales take out of service all there tatty old rollstock and replace it with quality new roll stock like what Virgin Trains have especially there Pedolino trains?
Gareth Hughes

A12)
Dear Mr Hughes, I am sorry if you found the condition of our trains unfavourable compared to the new trains used by Virgin, and provided for in their franchise agreement. I regret that our franchise agreement does not include funding for the provision of new rolling stock. We are though working with our Rolling Stock provider and the Welsh Assembly Government to consider options for refurbishing the trains that we have, which although not new will greatly enhance appearance and comfort. However – we do have 27 Class 175 trains, which are less than nine years old and offer a high level of comfort, and are currently undergoing a programme of repainting

Q13)
I regulary travel from pyle to swansea to go to Swansea Metropolitan university. I am supposed to finish lectures at 13:00 although i have to leave at 13:40 to make sure i at back at swansea station to catch the 13:10 swansea to cardiff central train..
The questions i have are:
1.) Are there any plans to increase the frequency of the swansea to cardfiff all stopping service to run on a hourly frequency druing the off peak, instead of every 2 hours as at present.
2.) Any chance of a later train from swansea around 23:30 instead of 22:30, as i believe there is a train from swansea at 23:35 on sundays but not on monday to Saturdays
Anthony Powell

A13)Dear Mr Powell, I regret that at present there are no plans of to increase the level of the “all stopping” service between Swansea and Cardiff. The current service pattern is as specified in our franchise agreement with the Welsh Assembly Government. The services we operate are not commercial and we regret we are unable to provide enhanced frequencies unless funded by a 3rd party such as the Welsh Assembly.

Again, I am afraid that the current late night service provision meets our franchise requirements, and unless funding is provided an additional late night service such is unlikely to happen.

Q14)
Thank you for hosting this session - I'll be interested to see how Arriva a planning to address problems and develop their services over the years.

I'd be keen to pass the following questions to Mr. Bell:
Question 1
It's undeniable that the trains in use on the Cambrian Line have seen better days, with tatty interiors and broken fittings. I travel frequently with South West Trains and First Great Western who have invested a lot of money in making their identical trains a pleasure to travel on through complete refurbishment. What are Arriva's plans for bringing the standard of comfort on its trains back up to an acceptable level? Will there ever be a proper refurbishment programme, or will these once pleasant trains be allowed to continue decaying?

Question 2
As regards the services between Aberystwyth and Birmingham, I know that this is a "difficult line to run" and that you "are working with industry partners" to bring punctuality up to an acceptable level. However, I'd be interested to know more specifically what Arriva's next steps will be to improve timekeeping on this route (and hopefully bring an end to the now notorious early-turnarounds at Wolverhampton). What are your plans to resolve the situation?
Alex Liivet

A14)
Dear Mr Liivet, I would agree with your comments that the 158 trains used on the Cambrian line are in need of a full refurbishment, and we are discussing funding options with the Welsh Assembly Government and our Rolling Stock provider. During the last twelve months, we have carried out minor refurbishment programme of the 158s involving new seat covers and carpets, but in my opinion I share your view that something more extensive needs to be done.

Thank you for appreciating the difficulties of operating services on this route, generally caused by factors outside of our control. In so far as tackling the performance issues, I would kindly refer you to my answer given above relating to the extension of services through to Birmingham International from December 2008.

Q15)

1.The Manchester to LLandudno train service has very busy train's at peak time, any plans to increase the size of the trains or replace with longer trains?

2.How have passenger numbers increased over the past 5 years?

3.No connection for north Wales from the 19:03 to Crewe that arrives in Chester where a connection can leave with a minute, its a very tight connection that is not supported. If you miss that train to Flint at Chester then you have to wait 1 hour + for a connection to Flint. Not nice on a cold, dark winter's evening.

4.Any plans to provide a service to London?
Shaun Stanley

A15)
Dear Mr Stanley, Using your numbering:

1.As part of our December 2008 timetable review, we are seeking to have a more balanced North Wales service in conjunction with the Virgin West Coast timetable. Within the new timetable, we will be using the finite resources available to provide the best possible capacity in and out of Manchester at peak times. The detail of this is still being worked on, but I will ensure that my Train Planning team are aware of your concerns.

2.Across the Arriva Trains Wales network, passenger journeys have increase to the order of 8.1% for the period 1st April 2005 to 31st March 2007.

3.Again, this will be part of our December 2008 timetable review to see if we can improve connections.

4.Currently, Arriva Trains Wales has no plans to introduce London services from North Wales. However, it is worth noting that from December 2008, Virgin Trains will be providing hourly London services from Chester. This will provide improved journey opportunities to London with connections from the North Wales Coast at Chester rather than Crewe.

Q16)
Bearing in mind, firstly, that its catchment population is by far the largest of any station on the North Wales Coast Line and, secondly, that it is the only station apart from Llandudno Junction that has connecting train services, why would any ATW train pass through Shotton Station without stopping?
Malcolm Wright

A16)
Dear Mr Wright, Thank you for raising this issue with me, and I can fully understand the aspiration for every train to stop at every station. However, such would not provide the journey times that our passengers also want. If we were to create additional stops at Shotton and other stations, this would have a detrimental effect on our ability to achieve paths into Chester and Crewe, with the result that customers’ connections at these points may be lost.
It is not our intention at this time to create additional stops in the December 2008 timetable, however the connections with Virgin Trains at Chester will be much improved.

Q17)
Why do you not run trains on time, with more carriages and with more facilities (e.g. laptop plugin points) on Aberystwyth trains?

Wouldn’t you make money to pay for the above if your conductors (a) collected money for tickets, (b) cleaned windows/tables/litter during turnarounds instead of chatting/smoking and (c) provided accurate, up to date information on delays in a friendly, apologetic manner, rather than hiding in their cabins when things go wrong?
Rupert Marshall

A17)
Dear Mr Marshall, I would agree that the performance of our Cambrian service should be a lot better, and Network Rail are currently carrying out extensive infrastructure upgrades to improve passing loops along the route, and renew antiquated signalling systems. Once completed, we anticipate far better performance on the service and again I would refer you to my answers above concerning performance improvements with the introduction of through services to Birmingham International.

I am concerned at your description of the level of customer service that our conductors working on the Cambrian line provide. It is not in my view representative of the correspondence that I see from other passengers who I am pleased to say regularly praise our staff, even when things are going wrong. All of our conductors are expected to carry out revenue protection duties during the journey, and we take any reports of failure in this regard very seriously. In addition, we have recently provided to all conductors handbooks that standardise what duties they should be performing at every point in the journey.

I appreciate that on longer 4-carriage trains, it can be difficult for conductors to negotiate the full length of the train between stations. Both conductors and our At-Seat Catering staff are expected to collect rubbish from seats and table tops during the journey and at turn-round points where time allows, and if you have details of any regular examples of this not taking place then please let me know. Our conductors score very highly in the independent customer satisfaction surveys conducted by Passenger Focus, but even so we are undertaking a significant amount of Customer Care training this year with our conductors to further build on these results.

Q18)
When South West Trains has a bad day it puts up posters overnight at manned stations apologising for the delays and explaining why they occured. Wouldn’t such a policy be a cheap & effective way for ATW to apologise to its customers and give the feeling it is actually concerned about delays on its services, particularly given the recent weeks of daily 40 minute delays & cancellations on the Aberystwyth line?
Rupert Marshall

A18)
I do recognise that saying sorry when things go wrong is an important part of customer service, and the idea of putting up posters to apologise is a good one, and one that we try to do at our larger staffed stations. However, the logistics of this is difficult on the Cambrian route, where nearly all of our stations are unstaffed.

Q19)
when will the half hourly service to merthyr beginning
Russ Guppy

A19)
Dear Mr Guppy, Under the terms of our franchise agreement, the service specification is determined by the Welsh Assembly Government, and it will be at their behest as to when the half-hourly service will be introduced. I would just add that the infrastructure works required for the half-hourly service to operate have not yet been completed.

Q20)
Please can you tell me when the half-hourly service from Merthyr to Cardiff will commence?
David James

A20)
Dear Mr James, Thanks for your live question. Please could I refer you to my response to Russ Guppy above.

Q21)

When can we expect lift provision rather than a very long ramped walk from platform 3 at Shrewsbury?
When can we expect a 'pleasant' lift at Newport?

When will someone own up to the timetable? A name to whom compliemnts/complaints should be addressed would be much appreciated!
Joan Nash

A21)
Dear Mrs Nash,

Nice to hear from you again. We have been sucessful in applying for an Access for All grant from the Department for Transport to facilitate the installation of a lift to Platform 3. Network Rail will be undertaking these works, and they will also be carrying out infrastructure works to enable the better use of Platform 3. I am afraid I currently do not have a programme from them.

The Newport lifts will be renewed as part of the redevelopment of the station in preparation for the Ryder Cup. These works have been funded jointly by the Welsh Assembly Government and Network Rail, and we expect these works to be completed in early 2010.

If you have any specific comments relating to the timetable, please feel free to send them in to myself. The timetable has been designed to accomodate many different markets within Wales and the Borders. It was developed out of the initial franchise specification which was awarded with limited and finite resources. Whilst recognising it is not always a perfect solution, it is difficult to satisfy everyone's aspirations. We continue to review the timetable each year in light of our customer and stakeholder comments.

Q22)
when are arriva train wales going to get new trains on the cardiff to holyhead route because the trains that are running now between north wales and south wales are 20 years old and the trains are a joke, i would also like to ask you why when trains are really busy partically on the Llandudno to Manchester Piccadilly route why cant arriva put extra carriages on these trains
Graham

A22)
I appreciate that the rolling stock available to Arriva Trains Wales does not compare well in terms of age against some operators such as Virgin Trains, however our franchise agreement unlike Virgin did not specify new rolling stock. I am pleased to advise that from December 2008 there will be an improved service pattern along the North Wales Coast as well as all Cardiff to Holyhead services being operated by the newest trains that we have, Class 175s, which are only some 8 years old. I also hope that the revised service patterns we will introduce in December will improve capacity into and from Manchester Piccadilly.

Q23)
Since the opening of Llanharan station, this service is getting more and more crowded (see attached photo). When are you going to add that extra carriage you promised? Also I was wondering about health and safety – often there a people in wheel chairs completely surrounded by people hanging on for dear life. It’s a very depressing way to end the day. Will the money recently announced for the valleys’ services include something for us?
Simon Hughes

A23)
Dear Mr Hughes, I am aware that this particular service is heavily used, and I am sorry to learn of the crowded conditions you have experienced on your journey home, particularly since Llanharan opened.

You may be aware that this service was affected by the withdrawal of the 17.18 First Great Western service in 2007, and since then catering for the capacity has been a difficult issue given that Arriva Trains Wales were not provided with any additional resources to carry these additional passengers. The difficulties are further compounded by the fact that stations on the Maesteg route are not long enough to accommodate longer trains at this time, although platform extension work is currently underway.

My Train Planning section are fully aware of the capacity problems, and we hope to be able to allocate additional capacity for the December 2008 timetable change, although I appreciate this is not as immediate as we would all wish.

The recent announcements made on potential developments for the network are welcome, but are at this stage I understand are aspirational and without firm funding commitments attached.

Q24)
Question 1:
Why does Llanfairfechan get an hourly service to Chester and only two hours to Holyhead? What happened to the clockface timetable?

Question 2:
Why are departures Westbound from Chester not 30 minutes apart to give a proper 30 min service? Clockface I don't think so.

Question 3:
Why are connections announced approaching Llandudno Jn which do not exist? For example, a Crewe to Holyhead service would announce a connection to Llandudno which had in fact departed 10 minutes earlier. In my view a 50 min wait for the short hop to Llandudno is not a connection.
Mike Lilley

A24)
Dear Mr Lilley, Thank you for the observations concerning timetable and connection issues on our North Wales services. Using your numbering –

1. I regret to advise that having checked with my Train Planning team, that the hourly then two-hourly pattern anomaly will be standardised in December 2008 as part of a wider review of timetables across North Wales, but will see services operate every two hours in both directions.

This regression is part of a wider package of benefits for North Wales in December 2008 which will lead to an overall better pattern of services.

2. The timings of services operating Westbound are largely dictated by our train paths that are available to us out of the busy stations at Manchester Piccadilly and Birmingham New Street, and these do unfortunately cause an uneven frequency. However, on the whole we do maintain consistent departure times every hour in order to keep things as easy to understand as possible.

3. While I do accept that the announcement of a connection that is facilitated with a 50 minute wait is not ideal, it does remain a viable option for some customers. A wider review of our timetables for North Wales in December 2008 will lead to better connections between services at Llandudno Junction, particularly to and from Llandudno.

Q25)
News reporting. As the editor of a rail users’ newsletter I frequently look at the ATW website for the latest news items. Regrettably I find little of relevance to our area in North East Wales/North West England. An analysis of the 105 news items on 2 June 2008 reveals why:

Corporate items: 12
Mid Wales/Cambrian: 12
England: 8
North Wales: 5
And South Wales……………….68

Even allowing for the varying scale of operations, I think you will agree there is something of an imbalance here.
George Jones

A25)
Dear Mr Jones, While I can understand your point of view on the balance of reporting between North and South Wales, it is indicative that the majority of train journeys and passenger journeys are in South Wales. However, I don’t believe that we’ve got the balance quite right, and I will be asking my Marketing & Communications teams to provide a better focus for the areas outside of South Wales

Q26)
As a resident of the Conwy Valley, I use the train weekly to get to and from Bangor, where I currently study. The timetable at the current time is sufficient for my needs, but my question is, is there room within the timetable to fit an extra service in?

I know this might mean that a standard pattern timetable cannot be met, but there is plenty of scope in the current timetable to introduce an extra service down the Conwy Valley, as there are long dwell times at Blaenau, which could mean that it can be retimed to fit in one extra service.

Thank you for your time.
Elgan Thomas

A26)
Dear Mr Thomas, I am pleased to hear that the present timetable meets your needs. The frequency of services that we operate in this area is specified within the franchise agreement, and any enhancements to the service would require third-party funding as the services do not generate sufficient revenue to cover the cost of operation.

Q27)
The fare for my short journey into Cardiff has increased over the last four years by a total of 70%. Increases have occurred, including last month, without any prior warning by poster, press or website. The stock answer from train staff is "They never tell us either". Why?
Goeff

A27)
Without knowing the details of your particular journey, it is difficult to give a precise answer, however I am not aware that we have implemented an increase of the size that you mention. However, the amount that we can raise most of our fares is tightly regulated in our franchise agreement, and is capped at RPI +1%. We provide briefing material to all of our conductors when changes in fares occur, and I am disappointed in the comments you make and will follow this matter up.

Fare changes tend to be announced by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) on a national level, and changes in fares typically generate their own media coverage, and by default we normally find it unnecessary to produce our own publicity however I will review this in light of your observation.

Q28) A new publication describing Arriva Rovers and Rangers gives information which conflicts with the Flexipass leaflet and website.

While it is understandable that validity to Gloucester by rail (shown on new map) has been included to replace the bus service withdrawn by Stagecoach (South Wales) a change in start time to 0915 is shown which conflicts with the full conditions as published elsewhere. What would be the validity of the Flexipass on the 0912 Cardiff-Gloucester service?
Goeff

A28) I have passed this to my Head of Marketing so that a cross-check between all of the various sources of information on the Flexipass product can be made. If we identify any inconsistencies we will correct these.

Having checked on the time restrictions for you, this product is indeed subject to a 09.15 time restriction for rail travel, and as such would not be valid on our 09.12 service from Cardiff Central to Gloucester. It is however valid on the 09.45 service provided by Cross-Country.

Q29)
1) I note that that your Website promotes various bargain fares from Cardiff to Manchester, Cardiff to Blackpool and Swansea to Liverpool - all at £15. I can't find similar offers for such bargain fares from other parts of the ATW system other than your £10 N Wales coast to Chester for £10. There do not appear to be such offers from say Wrexham/Gobowen etc. Why is this please?

2) Also, as you are no doubt aware the National Eisteddfod of Wales is being held in Cardiff. This would seem to be an excellent opportunity of promoting rail travel from North and Mid Wales to the event. What are your plans and will there be any offers to include rail travel and admission?
Gareth Thomas

A29)
Dear Mr Thomas, Using your numbering –
1) The pricing system that we use is aimed at selling additional capacity where it currently exists. This has meant that we have targeted long-distance leisure type journeys rather than short distance trips. However, we already have good value fares available for shorter journeys from Wrexham and Gobowen, for example Wrexham-Manchester return priced at £13.30 for a Saver return.
2) I am pleased to advise that we have worked closely with the Eisteddfod and a joint ticketing arrangement is already in place (available to purchase now), to allow rail passengers to purchase both their travel tickets and entry ticket At the same time. An Add-On facility is also available allowing bus travel with Cardiff Bus to the Maes.

Q30)
I am still waiting for an explanation why the train stopped at Helsby but the doors did not open. It may have had something to do with the power cut at Frodsham at the same time but I would still like to know. I was only glad I was not catching my connection to Glasgow Central/Queen Street and on to Canna on that day as I sometimes do.

Also the recorded announcements repeated throughout the journey are unnecessary and extremely irritating. A short announcement of the next stop would be sufficient as most people can read!

I hope you have a pleasant day without too much grief.
James Paterson

A30)

Dear Mr Paterson, Thank you for your question and I am sorry for the problems you have encountered. My Customer Relations team and Conductor Managers have been investigating this incident and I am sorry for the short delay in responding. It appears that due to miscommunication between the train crew the train departed without the doors being opened. I very much regret that we’ve let you down on this occasion, and we will also be sending you a letter today. Please do not hesitate to contact me on this again if there are any further questions on this matter.

With regard to the recorded announcement on our Class 175 trains, these attempt to strike a balance between getting the message across to those who may be unfamiliar with stations along the line of route, and those who use the service regularly. We wil continue to review the content and effectiveness of our on-train announcements.

Q31)

My questions for Tim Bell are:-

1. English is the international language of the world and is understood by practically every user at our stations. Why then, does your company make announcements in Welsh first, a minority language that is not understood by the vast majority of the population? The signs constantly blinking between the two languages are most annoying and confusing - especially to foreigners.

2. The new Sports Village in Cardiff Bay & associated retail/ residential development is likely to generate many journeys. Have you considered asking Network Rail to build a new station (on the Penarth line) by Cogan Tesco's with a footpath linking it to the proposed bridge over the River Ely? This would enable thousands of people to reach the are by train. (The re-opening of the old tunnel running under the main road from Cogan Station, as a footpath to the Tesco side, would surely help pedestrian access).

3. Do you think you could get some of your buses down from north Wales and try an experimental bus shuttle service (free to rail uses) between:-
(a) Heath Halt & Heath Hospital and
(b) Cogan Station & Llandough Hospital.
Both hospitals generate huge numbers of journeys. A free shuttle bus service would surely prove popular and therefore increase rail travel. You could advertise the free bus links at the relevant stations as well as in the hospitals.

4. Do you think that the service along the Coast line via Cardiff (Rhoose) Airport could be increased to half hourly? Would it not be more advantageous to continue the Pembroke Dock to Swansea service east as a stopping train to Bridgend and then along the Coast Line via Rhoose to Cardiff before perhaps continuing on as the stopping service to Cheltenham? The Ebbw Vale to Cardiff service could be extended to take in the Maesteg service.
Surely more people want to go to the Airport than Barry Island. How about diverting the trains from the valleys to terminate at Rhoose with the heritage railway providing the link between Barry Town & Barry Island? I also think that the trains going to/from Llantwit Major should go non stop between Cardiff and Barry Town. (Anyone for intermediate stations can change at Barry Town). Robert

A31)

Dear Robert, Using your numbering –

1) As you will be able to see from the questions and answers above, this is an issue that divides our customers and as previously explained I will keep the matter under review.

2) Any new station infrastructure as you describe is outside what we are funded for in our franchise agreement, and would involve significant capital investment. Funding would need to come from a third-party such as the Welsh Assembly Government or local transport consortia. We will monitor developments on the proposed footbridge between Penarth and the Sports Village, and should this come to fruition this will hopefully mitigate some of your concerns.

3) The operation of a free bus links falls outside of our funded franchise commitments and would not be commercially viable. In any case, such a link would be better provided by an existing bus operator, rather than Arriva. The recent announcement that the bus link between Rogerstone and Newport has not proved to be commercially successful highlights the difficulties of these projects.

4) At present, the level of service we operate is as specified by the Welsh Assembly Government under our franchise agreement. While I share your aspiration for an improved service along the Vale of Glamorgan line, the limiting factor in facilitating this is the capacity at Cogan Junction. Network Rail’s recent announcement in their Route Utilisation Strategy would address this constraint although this is likely to be a few years in the future. To divert Barry Island services to the Vale of Glamorgan would require additional train units given the increased journey time. This again would be a matter for third-party funding via the Welsh Assembly Government.

Q32)
Given the price of fuel and the fact that I am now firmly ensconsed in midde age, I have started cycling to work (in Cardiff Bay) from Home (Llanbradach). However, I cannot manage the return trip (I am too tired, and I also have to be home in time to spend some time with my son before he goes up to bed).

It is a bit of a struggle on the train with a bike. Not all carriages seem to have enough room, and, at peak times, even if there was enough room to stand the bike comfortably I often feel like I am in the way of other people. That said, I see other train users standing at peak times. And there never seems enough room for people with prams or pushchairs. I am aware that platforms are being extended, and trains with more carriages are in the pipeline, but I think there needs to be a more flexible approach So, I had a thought:

What happened to the guards carriages that were used in the days of British Rail? Isn't there room for implementing them again? Or, at least, running one or two bike friendly trains evey hour? I am sure that more and more people would consider mixed mode comuting in light of higher fuel costs, and the proliferation of cycle to work schemes being offered by employers:

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/sustainable/cycling/cycletoworkschemeimplementat5732

Is there any way that the National Assembly and Arriva Trains Wales can work in tandem to improve the experience of taking a bike on a train? Damon Newman

A32)
Dear Mr Newman, Unfortunately the units that we are provided with in our franchise agreement were built to a specification that does not facilitate the carriage of bicycles. Our policy is to restrict carriage of non-folding bicycles during the morning and evening peaks, although we leave the decision at the time to our Conductors to make a judgment as to whether they can be accommodated during the peak or at any other time. It is extremely unlikely that locomotive and coaching stock (which would enable a guard’s van) would be re-introduced in any significant way. Looking forward, we would hope that any future commissioning of new rolling stock for the Valleys area would consider increased provision for cycles.

Q33)
Please can you clarify and answer my question My husband caught the 12.15 pm train from barry to cardiff but could not purchase a ticket at the station as it was closed so had no alternative but to purchase a ticket off the conductor who in return was very rude and said to him that i should charge you for boarding the train without getting ticket at office but will this time only charge you standard return fare my husband said the way he spoke was very embarrassing in front of other passengers he told the conductor that he would of got ticket if open and the conductor said he had checked and the ticket office was open but my husband would of got ticket but there was also a sign saying closed he more or less accused my husband of lieing to him i find this very unacceptable and will not catch train again .
Andrew Wellfare

A33)
I’m sorry to hear about the problems encountered by your husband. Under the National Conditions of Carriage, where a booking office is open customers are required to purchase a ticket before boarding the train in order to obtain any discount that may apply. In the situation you describe above, given the booking office was closed for a short break, I am disappointed that the Conductor chose not to use their discretion to apply a discount to your husband’s ticket.

Again, I would ask you to convey my apologies to your husband, and if you can let me know the date your husband traveled I will gladly ensure this is followed up and a refund of the difference provided to you.

Q34)
Dear Tim,
The contributors of Q2 and Q11 in today's forum have both given sensible suggestions regarding your PA system at stations. In particular, the suggestion by John/Pam Lyons appears very logical and I'd encourage you to give it proper consideration. With the greatest of respect your answer to Q11 was rather dismissive and I'd suggest you keep an open mind and look again at this issue rather than giving an outright refusal.
With all best wishes,
Alex Martin

A34)
Dear Mr Martin,
Thank you for your further contribution on this issue. There will always be contradictory views from our customers regarding our dual language policy. I do not intend to be dismissive of people's views or feelings, and I do try to keep an open mind but I suspect that this issue will continue to be debated for some time to come.

Q35)
The Cambrian lines (Main & Coast) provide an increasingly vital communication link for Mid Wales. The current improvements being made are welcome but what enhancements would you wish to see for the future?
The Cambrian Winter services are currently a minimal service (just one train in each direction on the coast) which even applies at Easter and early May Bank holiday, any plans for enhancing these?
Bill Redfern

A35)
Dear Mr Redfern, As a result of the programme of work currently underway on the Cambrian line, and with the extension of the service to Birmingham International from December 2008, my first and foremost wish is that we will see a significant improvement in the reliability of the service. The works that are currently being undertaken by Network Rail to replace the outdated signaling system with new technology and works to prepare the infrastructure for an hourly Aberystwyth service will, I believe, begin to meet the aspirations of users on the route.

Q36)

In response to your Question and Answer session on 10th June I submit the following three questions.
1. Why is nothing being done to alleviate the dreadful parking difficulties at Abergavenny Station. After about 0900hrs it is virtually impossible to park at the station.Coupled with this fact is that there is no public transport/bus service from the town. For such a busy station an urgent review and action is required for station access.

2. Trains on the Marches line from Cardiff are becoming dangerously overcrowded in certain sections of the line particularly in the southern section to Abergavenny but also north between Ludlow and Shrewsbury at certain times. This is particularly prevalent when two car 168 trains are used. Two years ago the line was promised 3 car units from Northern Rail, there seem to be so few of these units. Are Arriva Trains Wales commissioning longer trains over this route which must be one if not the most important long distance timetable in your system ?

3. Why are Cwmbran and Pontypool OUTSIDE the valleys discount ticket pass system ? The new Ebbw Vale line is IN the system !
Mike Reeves

A36)

Dear Mr Reeves, Using your numbering –

1. I am sorry that you are finding it difficult to park at Abergavenny station, and I appreciate the problems you describe as I travel from Abergavenny on occasions. Unfortunately, the site is very constrained and there is no additional land available within the leased area that we have. I think it is unlikely that there is an easy or quick solution to this problem and accept that the lack of parking may well be constraining demand. We continue to discuss the issue of car parking at stations with Welsh Assembly Government and local transport consortia to agree how best we can deliver a long-term solution to this problem.
2. The majority of our Cardiff-Manchester services are now operated by 3-car Class 175 trains. However we only have 16 three-car 175’s in the fleet which have to be targeted as best we can to meet predicted demand. We do accept that at certain times of day the use of two-car 158 or 175 trains can sometimes prove to be insufficient in terms of capacity, however please be assured that we constantly monitor passenger loadings and always seek to make best use of the finite number of trains we have available.
3. Historically, the stations at Pontypool and New Inn and Cwmbran fell under the fare structure of the former main line operator, Wales and West, and not Valley Lines. You are right in saying that these different pricing regimes have continued. Including these stations in the Valleys fare structure would result in a reduced fare and subsequent revenue loss. As an aside, this would likely make the capacity issues worse. Unless the loss in revenue was funded by a third party, we do not foresee a likely change in the situation.

Q37)
Thanks for the opportunity to comment on Arriva services.
Personally I have no criticism to make of the actual train services but I am concerned at the image given by the poor standards of station train announcements, especially Cardiff Central.
I appreciate that having the Welsh first is a huge step forward and Arriva deserves thorough congratulation for that; it is an excellent example of a large company taking bilingualism seriously and I thoroughly applaud it.

However, I have to wonder how the young man doing the announcements in Welsh was selected for the job. Although his pronunciation of Welsh and Welsh place-names is correct, the high pitch of his voice, intonation and delivery are somewhat unfortunate, coming very close to the sing-song accent of the Welsh stereotype often mocked in comedy shows. The Welsh language has enormous dignity and gravitas in the right hands and in my opinion these announcements should be done by a more mature male with a deeper and more even modulation to his voice, followed by that same person doing the identical announcement in English with the correct pronunciation of Welsh place names.
It goes almost without saying that the female voice which follows the Welsh with the announcements in English is a disaster. There was a time when station announcers were thoroughly familiar with local pronunciation and usage. This female voice has an irritating Thames estuarine whine which is certainly not local to this area. Her lazy nasal enunciation would be bad enough at Waterloo or Liverpool Street, but this accent has nothing in common with South Wales especially with her very poor pronunciation of Welsh place-names. It is uncompromisingly irritating to hear the sonorous dignity of Welsh place-names getting trodden underfoot by inappropriate stress and mispronunciation. At the same time one feels embarrassment for someone who is clearly struggling with a job that seems beyond her abilities - certainly where Welsh place-names are concerned.
Neither of these announcers has the professionalism one was accustomed to a few decades ago and Arriva should, in my opinion, invest in a reworking and re-recording of these announcements by more appropriate voices and, especially, a Welsh person, capable of getting Welsh place-names right, to do the English versions.
Cardiff Central, especially, is a major gateway to Wales and it really grieves me to often hear strangers to Wales sneering at, and frequently actually laughing at, the high-pitched sing-song Welsh announcement which just confirms a popular and, to some people, highly amusing stereotype. These same people will usually find the female voice grappling with Welsh names just as amusing. Because no attention has been given to local usage she gets the stress totally wrong even with English place-names in Wales - for example she puts major stress on the 'Taff's '' in 'Taff's Well'' - something no local would dream of doing. Ridiculously inappropriate weight is given to 'Cardiff'' in 'Cardiff Bay' - as if there were a danger it could apply to some other Bay.
This station, of all stations, should give a positive image to a dignified and sonorous language which many may not have encountered before - it is part of a key first impression which, because of these announcers, is likely to be less than impressive.
Nobody expects a grand theatrical performance for station announcements but they should be obtrusive enough to be noticed in a neutral kind of way with nothing too irritating or unusual about them to attract negative attention.
I'm afraid this cannot be said for these two voices, much as I sympathise with the young man who is clearly doing his best, and much as I feel embarrassed for the woman who has been asked to do something beyond her capacity for adaptability.
Please re-record these announcements with voices more appropriate to the job. The male should have a more dignified, lower-pitched and sonorous voice without the exaggerated sing-song Welsh intonation which, for many from outside Wales, borders on the comic - and the female should be able to pronounce and stress all English and Welsh place-names correctly. This simple step might allow our capital city to give a first impression of civic dignity, professionalism and efficiency from the moment new arrivals step off the train. From the reactions of those around me I feel that these announcers create the opposite impression, and certainly one which it was never Arriva's intention to give.
I speak both languages fluently and correctly and would be only too happy to do the job for you.
Again, well done on giving such prominence to Welsh - it's an admirable initiative which most people in Wales really do appreciate.
I Davies

A37)
Thank you for you comments concerning the Welsh language being used first at Cardiff Central, and while I appreciate this for some is welcome I am also aware that for other customers the welsh language being first causes confusion. We have reviewed our current policy and are content to leave the situation as it is, but would review if the feedback from customers changed.
I am surprised at the comments you make concerning the Welsh and English speakers, knowing both announcers as I do and the efforts made to ensure that their tone and pronunciation were correct and was as neutral as possible. It is not our intention to amend our announcements at this moment, but I will take your comments in mind should we consider it in the future.

Q38)
My questions are:-
1. Your Pacer & Sprinter 150 trains are getting old and will surely need replacing in the not to distant future. In view of the crises with oil becoming expensive and the pollution caused where passngers sometimes are subjected to the fumes, does the MD support electrification and is he pushing Network Rail and the Governmnet to electrify the network ready for replacement rolling stock?
2. Sometimes connections are missed by just a few minutes. Cases that come to mind are Holyhead to Cardiff trains departing Shrewsbury just as the train from the Cambrian Coast arrives; the arrival at Bridgend of trains from Rhoose 5 minutes after the departure of the Cardiff - Swansea stopping service. The next departure going west is not for another 29 minutes (FGW HST). This means that passengers are hanging around Bridgend for the time it would take to reach Swansea!
3. If I want to take a leisure trip, I can get a rasonably priced fare by booking well in advance. For instance, Cardiff to Chester is about £51 return by paying on the day yet only £20 return by booking about 1 month ahead. This policy means that I usually use my car for leisure trips as to book ahead for a rail trip could mean I choose a day when the weather is terrible - its simply not worth the risk. I can understand that you have some services that are crowded due to people going to work for instance, but would it not be possible to simply colour code each service. For example, a train with pink behind it on the timetable would be peak fare and a plain background would be a cheap fare. A train where part of its journey would be in each category would attract an average fare for someone making a long trip. Using this system, advanced booking would not be required and it is possible that more people would use the trains. Special event days (Millennium Stadium etc) would be marked and attract the dearest peak fares. This would still be of benefit to you as your intention is to spread the demand as far as possible by using price as a factor. Rod

A38)
Thank you for your questions. Using your numbering –
1)     Under the terms of the franchise agreement, I regret that we were not funded to replace any of the rolling stock we inherited and I suspect it unlikely that new trains will be provided to us during the term of the franchise (being until 2018). In terms of the age of the Pacer and Sprinter trains, I agree that these are not the most modern of trains, but all of our Class 150 Sprinters have been recently refurbished to a high standard and the Class 150s are an excellent vehicle for the commuter lines around Cardiff. As detailed previously we are working through some proposals for refurbishing our Class 158 trains. The Pacers were last refurbished around 6 years ago, but some have been given new seat covers recently in order to improve the appearance of the trains. In terms of electrification, there are many arguments for and against, and to some extent the progression of any electrification projects will be determined at government level according to the costs and benefits that this would bring. Should there be any move towards the extension of electrification this would most likely start with the Inter-city type services to Paddington rather than the more local services that we tend to operate.
2)     Unfortunately, it is not always possible to optimise connections at some locations, and we have to prioritise connections where need is greatest. I will ask my Train Planning team to look into the specific examples you have identified to see if we can improve on the current arrangements. As mentioned previously, the timetable for December 2008 should significantly improve Cambrian services and we will be looking at the West Wales timetable for May 2009.
3)     Similar to many low-cost airlines, we discount tickets on longer journeys where capacity exists. With the distances our trains travel, they sometimes move through an area of peak demand, and very few train journeys are confined to only off-peak. Therefore they will pass through a peak in demand at some point in their journey and our Advance Purchase ticket pricing and availability policies tries to take this into account.

Again, drawing a comparison with the similar policy adopted by other transport providers, our cheapest Advance Purchase fares are not refundable owing to the substantial discounts that they carry compared with the equivalent Standard tickets.

On your suggestion of colour-coding particular journeys on the timetable, I regret that this would not be practical to introduce for the reasons as outlined above.

Q39)
Passengers on the Cardiff Valleys routes are often conveyed by a significant number of class 142 and 143 railbuses, a concept originally branded as 'Pacer'. The kindest description that can be applied to these low specification trains is that the passenger accommodation is 'rudimentary and Spartan'. The ride quality is grossly inferior to other classes, and the absence of gangways between units (in multiple) prevents free movement of staff and passengers alike. The overall impression given to passengers is hardly that of a progressive twenty-first century company. There is a veiled clue in the Arriva Trains Wales mission statement, which quite properly focuses on service and reliability, though baulks at any direct reference to the standard of rolling stock and its effect on the 'passenger experience'. I am sure many passengers would be interested for an account of why Arriva Trains Wales opts to continue leasing this outmoded inferior rolling stock, despite its increasing rejection by other train operating ccompanies.
Paul Burgess

A39)
Dear Mr Burgess, As mentioned in some of my earlier answers, our current franchise does not make any provision for the funding of new rolling stock. I would agree with you that our Pacer fleet does not offer the most comfortable ride for long journeys, however these trains are used primarily on the high-frequency Cardiff and Valleys commuter services where the average journey distance is less than 13 miles. More recently, the Welsh Assembly Government have provided us with additional Class 150 trains, which are in regular use on the Valleys services to supplement the Pacer fleet, which makes it more likely that you will travel on a Class 150 than previously. However, I regret that it is unlikely that we will be funded to replace the Pacer fleet before the end of this franchise in 2018.

Q40)
I used Stena High Speed (11.10 sailing), to travel from Dun Laoire to Holyhead on Sunday 1st June. The ferry was 10 minutes arriving. Approximately one hundred passengers, quite a number with young children as it was the end of half-term, were supposed to be travelling onto London. We were all left on the platform. An Arriva staff member reported that, as only two passengers had made it onto the platform within the 10 mintues of allowed delay, the train left empty. I gather that the train was allowed 10 minutes delay. The next train left Holyhead three hours later. While punctuality is paramount, and statistics are everything, is it not possible to treat the 'boat train', as an exception which, on ocassions, will be delayed for a period greater than 10 minutes?. It was also indicative of an extremely poor quality relationship between Stena and Arriva trains, that this is allowed to happen.
Dr Joan McGuirk

A40)
Dear Dr McGuirk, I understand that some 40 minutes is allowed for making connections between the ferry and the train at Holyhead. Unfortunately once this allowance is used up, then in order not to inconvenience other rail passengers along the route the train will need to depart. I’m afraid that our policy on holding trains applies across the network and we have found that overall we can minimise disruption for the majority of passengers by applying our policy consistently.

Q41)
please would you lay tracks in carriages for your refreshment trolleys? my seat was repeatedly bashed by one during my recent trip from shrewsbury to cardiff, leaving me quite uncomfortable; and i wasn't the only one; a raised track would clearly be a risk to passengers, but perhaps a sunken one is possible
Anon

A41)
I am very sorry to hear that your recent journey was spoiled. We have replaced about half of the trolleys that we use with narrower versions and are currently replacing the remaining trolleys by the end of June. These narrower trolleys I hope will address the concerns you raise.

Q42)
What is the total annual fuel consumption for all of Arriva Trains Wales' trains?

What is the total annual passenger mileage for all of Arriva Trains Wales' trains?
James Slorach

A42)
Dear Mr Slorach, Unfortunately owing to the price-sensitive nature of fuel at the moment, I am unable to provide an answer on your first point at this time. However, we plan to operate 21.2m train kilometres per year.

Q43)
Why is the ticket desk at Cathays station (southbound platform) located on the wrong side of the ticket gates, requiring passengers to go through the ticket gate before they can buy a ticket?
James Slorach

A43)
The site at Cathays is extremely constrained by the fact that we only have a small part of the area within our lease. While I understand that this may not provide the most user-friendly layout, I regret that there is little we can do in the short term however we will be looking at the possibility of installing a ticket vending machine on the South side if the land issues can be resolved.

Q44)
I congratulate you in putting yourself forward for this session as it cannot be an easy thing to do.
My name is Jeremy James, I live in North Wales and commute to Berkshire every week. I am a Station Commander in Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service.

I suppose I would like to make a statement first and that is:

Currently I have chosen to leave 30 mins earlier from Wrexham, pay more, arrive 40 mins later in Reading and travel with Wrexham & Shropshire Railways than travel with Arriva.
I have been commuting now for 4 years and in my personal experience Tim, the service you provide on the Wrexham into Birmingham New Street is quite frankly appaling. I am quite dissapointed in the passenger focus team too as I am convinced they are not commuting and are not really challenging your company in the correct areas i.e your primary reason for existance " Service Delivery "
If you or any of the passenger focus group travelled on any train into Birmingham New Street in a morning, then my concerns would be self explanitory.

I understand you lease your carriages. There is a 2 set train running a commuter service into Birmingham New Street each morning. As a serving Fire Officer and our Organisation having dealt with Ufton Nervet, should any incident happen on those trains I believe you would face some difficult questions. They are totally over crowded and in my professional opinion, unsafe in the event of an emergency/evacuation. Every passenger on those trains are totally fed up with the conditions, even the guards make jokes on the PA system e.g. when unexplainably a 3 set train was put on he actually said " to all those passengers who don`t know what to do with all the room today, just try to enjoy it, it won`t be here tomorrow". Why can`t you have the flexibility to give the paying passengers what they need, not the world, but just a simple seat that to be quite honest with you , they have paid a fortune for.

We constantly miss connections, I am not even going near the Aberyswyth Train line, which you continually cancel into BNS to keep your trains on performance indicator times, that line is a disaster at the moment. The only saving grace is your Customer Service Department, who always reply to me and answer questions, and every time I am delayed I am refunded which does take some of the sting out of your poor service. Please pass on my personal thanks to that Department as the are excellent, but what a sad indicator of a company it is, when one of your best performance indicators are your "complaints handling team".

This e amil is not a rant, but genuine concern of a paying passenger who has now exercised his right to choose. My choice is a poorer one, and more expensive one, but I now don`t care, I need a service that cares about it primary function to provide good train travel and timetables. I try to tell everyone when we are delayed about your compensation to passengers but very few people know about it, and I am sure it is cheaper to carry on running these trains like they are and pay the compensation to people like me who refuse to put up with it than to invest and properly run them, its pure economics.

As I said, I congratulate you for doing this process, I would love the opportunity to talk to you person to person, so middle management filtration does not take place, if there is a response, please afford me the courtesy and don`t send statistics to bolster your reply as I am not overly interested. In the real world, your service at present is very poor when I use it, mistakes and issues beyond your control happen at times and I accept that, but it seems to be the rule and not the exception with Arriva. Travelling with you at times is a miserable experience and it is now too frequent.

And finally a comment for your passenger focus group. Get rid of the train enthusiasts, we all love trains, get people on there whose daily lives depend on the trains and then you will get total focused feedback, with the primary aim and outcome of improving your service.
Jeremy James

A44)

Dear Mr James, Firstly may I apologise for the repeated problems you have encountered while using our services to commute to and from work.

As you can see from out previous replies, from the December 2008 timetable change we will be running the Cambrian and Holyhead services through to Birmingham International and also will be trying to ensure that as many trains as possible between Shrewsbury and Birmingham are four-car. The timetable amendment should make the Cambrian performance more robust, and provide increased capacity where it is needed most. Also from the previous replies, you have probably noted the fact that we have finite rolling stock resources available and we endeavour to use those in the most effective way. Looking forward, the Department for Transport plans to facilitate the introduction of an additional 1300 vehicles onto the UK railways network as a whole, and we will be making a bid to secure extra rolling stock for the services on the key route into Birmingham.

I share and understand your frustrations, as comparative to the rest of the network the performance of the service you use is below what I would like us to deliver. I am confident that our future plans will improve our overall delivery on the services that you use and your confidence in our service returns.

Q45)
Is ATW any further forward with a refurbishment programme for its Class 158 fleet?

Having travelled on a number of other TOC’s who have refurbished their 158’s your 24 examples rate as the scruffiest long distance fleet in the UK. They are now sub standard for the lengthy runs their regularly diagrammed on. My regular commute is from Newtown to Machynlleth thankfully I don’t have to use the toilets very often. Heaven knows what someone travelling between Bangor and Cardiff make of them.
Gareth Marston

A45)
Dear Mr Marston, Thank you for you comments, and I would kindly refer you to the answers I have provided above regarding our discussions with the Welsh Assembly Government and our rolling stock leasing partners. I share your desire to refurbish these trains.

Q46)
I travel fairly often on the North Wales coast routes up to Manchester.

Why is it when you know the trains are full do you persist in having only two or three carriages when people are crammed in like sardines?

This is especially the case when joining a train at Chester.

There must be a health and safety issue here - if one of your trains crashed with so many people standing in the isles I dread to think what the outcome would be!
Eric Jones

A46)
Dear Mr Jones, I am sorry that you are finding a problem with overcrowding on this line, and I would kindly refer you to my earlier answer to John/Pam Lyons.
In terms of safety issues, there are currently no fixed upper limits on the number of people that can be carried in a train carriage, and this applies to all train operators in the UK. The decision as to when the train is fully loaded rests with the Conductor, and when he is satisfied that it is safe to proceed the doors will be closed. We closely monitor passenger loadings to ensure that the finite capacity, where possible, best meets demand. Generally, we try to ensure that customers do not stand for more than 20 minutes during their journey.

Q47)
The 17:21 Cardiff central to Maesteg service is frequently overcrowded and on occasion I have seen people refused boarding due to the numbers already on the train.

Would it be possible to add an extra carriage to this service? An alternative solution would be for staff to advise passengers using the service to get to Bridgend that alternative trains are available. I use the train to get to Llanharan (many thanks for opening that station!) and if I cannot get on the 17:21 train I must wait a full hour for the next one.
Mike Bradley

A47)
Dear Mr Bradley, As with my earlier reply concerning this service, may I apologise for the uncomfortable journey home you are having. I would kindly refer you to my answer given to Simon Hughes’ question concerning our plans to tackle this issue.

Q48)
I would like to know why there are no Arriva train staff at Manchester Piccadilly when you have two trains an hour from Manchester
William Boylan

A48)
Dear Mr Boylan,
Thank you for your query. Network Rail and Northern Rail currently provide customer assistance and dispatch our trains at Manchester Piccadilly. Arriva Trains Wales funds the services provided and we have regular meetings with the operators of the station to ensure that our customers are receiving a good service.

Q49)
Dear Sir,
With the promised consideration of a long-awaited hourly service on the Aberystwyth line, please will you consider running at least one train on a Sunday morning in winter? You run an expanded service in summer so clearly have staff and trains to do so. You have also recently sponsored production of ramblers walking guides – although these are not possible to follow on Sundays as there are no viable return services from Shrewsbury – first arrival at Aber 5pm - and no return services at all from Machynlleth on the coast line. Also, the first departure from Aberystwyth is not until lunchtime. Surely one earlier departure from each end (including a morning service up the coast from Machynlleth) is not much to ask and might even break even if advertised appropriately: “visit a Welsh Winter Wonderland”.
Sincerely
R Marshall

Q49)
Dear Mr Marshall, Thank you for your comments. Having recently reviewed our Sunday timetable for the whole of the Arriva Trains Wales operation, a winter Sunday morning departure from Aberystwyth is not commercially viable at this present time. We would therefore require external funding, and if any were to become available we would be pleased to consider the options.

Q50)
Dear Sir,
When Arriva won the franchise you promised to work to better integrate with the bus network (often run by Arriva). The X40 from Cardiff/Camarthen to Aberystwyth is scheduled to arrive at 17.25 and 19.25. The train departs from Aberystwyth at 17.27 and 19.27. As a result nobody ever makes the connection and I myself have had to wait nearly 2 hours when travelling from Camarthen to Machynlleth. Please can you work with your colleagues in Arriva buses to provide an integrated network on these long distance routes? Many thanks.
Sincerely,
R Marshall

Q50)
Dear Mr Marshall
Thank you for your observation, and I will be pleased to ask colleagues in our Bus division to consider whether they are able to provide the connection opportunity you have identified. Thank you for drawing this matter to my attention.