Passenger anger at rush-hour change to train stops as biggest towns axed

NORTH Wales’ biggest towns have been cut from the main rush-hour commuter rail route between Holyhead and Cardiff – sparking passenger fury.

In December Transport for Wales (TfW) made a change to the timetable which means the 5.18pm service now only stops at Bangor, Llandudno Junction and Chester.

TfW defended the decision on the grounds it was looking to introduce a faster north to south service.

But the result is railway passengers from Colwyn Bay, Rhyl, Prestatyn and Flint are having to alter work patterns to catch earlier or later trains or switch to using cars instead.

Rail user Emma Hughes said commuting by train to Bangor was now impossible from Colwyn Bay.

“The train just goes from Bangor to Llandudno Junction and the next stop is Chester. There was no explanation given as to why this was happening.

“Funnily enough the 5.20pm Saturday train does stop at Colwyn Bay, Rhyl, Prestatyn and Flint, and is only an extra eight minutes slower getting into Cardiff.”

She added: “In an ideal world the 5:18pm train would stop at all stations between Bangor and Chester to ease some of the congestion on the roads.

“In a world which should be encouraging us to become more sustainable and use public transport why is Bangor being left out of it even being a possibility for commuters to get home from a long day’s work at a reasonable time of day?”

Holywell resident Peter Jones who relied on the train to get from Prestatyn to Bangor and back is furious at the change.

He said: “Checking the “to Holyhead” timetable reveals this train sits in Holyhead for some 40 minutes before despatching for Bangor.

“Why can’t it leave six minutes earlier and make the stops?”

Clwyd West MP David Jones has urged TfW officials to think again.

In a letter, the Tory MP said: “The consequence of the timetable changes is that there is no convenient train leaving Bangor at the end of the normal working day (i.e soon after 5pm) to take staff back to their homes in Colwyn Bay.

“As you may imagine my constituent and her colleagues are dismayed that TfW should take this action which has deprived them of acceptable and convenient transport in the evening.

A TfW spokesperson said: “TfW had a commitment to introduce faster Cardiff-Holyhead services each weekday by December 2019, services that will be delivered using modern, more comfortable trains in the coming months. This has led to different train times and changes to the calling patterns on services across our network.

“Train planning is incredibly complex and when services are retimed it is extremely difficult to find a solution that benefits all passengers. We’ll continue to work with stakeholders and listen to passengers, and use the valuable feedback we receive to continually improve and shape our plans, including our timetables and connecting services.” Meanwhile Anglesey AM Rhun ap Iorwerth has succeeded in persuading TfW to introduce additional stops at the island’s’ smaller stations.

The December timetable change left passengers using Valley, Rhosneigr, Ty Croes, Bodorgan and Llanfairpwll with a four hour gap between services in the morning.

Mr ap Iorwerth raised this issue in a meeting with TfW officials and they have now agreed to add additional stops to the 11.34am service from Holyhead.

The AM said: “I’m pleased that Transport for Wales listened to our concerns and have acted upon them. Even though it’s important to have a fast service between our main centres, this should not be at the expense of local services.”