‘Among worst rail services in whole of Europe’
FAR TOO MANY OF GWYNEDD’S TRAINS ARE LATE, FULL OR JUST CANCELLED, CLAIM COUNCILLORS
AS Welsh singer Bryn Fon broke his heart in Afon Wen station, so has a Gwynedd councillor over the state of the county’s rail services.
Dirty trains, overcrowding and poor customer service were just some of the complaints which led the councillor to push for improvements.
The motion prompted a lively debate in the council chamber and led to some comments over Welsh independence. Llanwnda councillor Huw Rowlands (inset) called for an improvement in the standard of rail services provided by Avanti West Coast and Transport for Wales.
Raising a notice of motion at Cyngor Gwynedd’s full council meeting, Cllr Rowlands proposed that the council wrote to the governments and relevant train companies “expressing dissatisfaction”.
Avanti West Coast operates the service between Bangor and England and for Blaenau to Llandudno and the Cambrian Line from Penhelig to Aberdyfi, and Pwllheli in the north.
“The Cambrian has been described as one of the most beautiful train journeys in the world, but the reality of train travel in the county is very different,” Cllr Huws told the meeting.
“As you know, Bryn Fon the singer broke his heart in the Afon Wen station. Well, I am also breaking my heart in the Bangor and Pwllheli stations and many in between - but for less romantic reasons than Bryn Fon’s.
“Trains are late, they are cancelled, they are full and dirty, there is no guarantee of a seat, and the prices are very high. I looked at the price of a one-way ticket to Cardiff.
“One ticket was nearly a hundred pounds. That may not even guarantee me a seat.
“The prices are quite incomparable with the standard of service provided and more expensive than many European countries.”
He added it was not just himself affected by the “unacceptable” services and sympathised with people in Gwynedd who relied on the train to get to work.
“They are also breaking their hearts, when they are late to work, or when trains are cancelled without notice or have to stand for the whole journey,” he said.
He also cited the example of football and rugby supporters travelling to Cardiff for international games on “overflowing trains” on game days, when sometimes “only two carriages are offered”.
He said issues were not only having a “negative impact” on Gwynedd residents but also the economy and “our international reputation”.
Cllr Huws said the services had seen a reduction during the Covid pandemic, adding that services had still to be reestablished to the level they were before the pandemic.
The number of direct train services between Bangor and London provided by Avanti West Coast has been “significantly cut”, he said.
He also claimed the new HS2 line service in England would cost over £100 billion, but that the people of Wales and Gwynedd would “see no benefit”.
“The people of Gwynedd deserve better than to receive, without question, a service that is among the worst in the whole of Europe,” said Cllr Huws.
He “sincerely hoped” that his notice of motion would be passed by Gwynedd Council to “stimulate improvements”.
Cllr Edgar Owen was happy to second the proposal. Then Cllr Eryl Jones Williams spoke, saying the picture with Avanti was “completely different” to the Cambrian Network which he said had “invested millions in the Cambrian Railway”.
“Everything we had complained about on the Cambrian is now sorted,” services had increased, and “they are listening to us”, he said.
“I don’t want you to compare the Cambrian with Avanti, because they are not a patch on each other,” he said.
Pwllheli North ward councillor
Elin Hywel said she wanted to support the motion. “I want to encourage that we develop opportunities with the trains to create a much clearer, much easier connection, and much more regular services as well,” she said.
“The impression I get from people visiting Wales is that they have to survive the journey to Wales rather than enjoy it.
“We live in such a beautiful place, they should have the opportunity to sit back and enjoy what they see through the window.”
Cllr Craig ab Iago added: “If you look at the new liberal government that is on steroids in England, and our government doing nothing at all in Cardiff, the services are being run down until we just give up. As Huw said, we deserve better, we can do better than this, what we as people can realise that they are offering in this union than what we can do on our own - so independence!”
The vote saw 38 vote in favour and two abstained, so the motion was carried.