‘Why are our Sunday rail services so awful?’
Seven trains a day ‘not good enough’:
AN overwhelming number of people in the Cynon Valley think Sunday rail services are not good enough, a survey has suggested.
The rail current service to Cardiff leaves Aberdare at just before 10am on a Sunday, with just seven trains running across the entire day – once every two hours – and 95% of respondents would like it to be more regular.
The online poll was carried out by AM Vikki Howells, and of the 118 respondents, 14% said they would like to use the service but could not because the timetable was “unsuitable”.
It comes after Ms Howells previously claimed people in the Valley are losing out on job opportunities because of it.
She said time has moved on and services must come up to date, and the issue was raised at the Senedd in July. A total of 66% of respondents said they currently used the Sunday Arriva Trains Wales service, and that 24% used it weekly.
Ms Howells said: “At the moment, there are just seven return train services between Cynon Valley and Cardiff on Sundays, and this is clearly inadequate for people needing to travel for work, leisure or to visit family.
“The first train to Cardiff doesn’t leave Aberdare until 9.54am, and if you finish work you can have a long wait to get home. This is clearly not acceptable, forcing many Cynon residents to discount public transport as a viable proposition.
“Having raised this with the First Minister, I agree with his comments that public transport provision needs to meet the demands of our communities and the many people for whom Sunday is a normal working day.”
Ms Howells said she carried out the online survey after being contacted by people who work on Sundays and had difficulties getting to their job.
“I have forwarded the results of this survey to Arriva Trains Wales, and look forward to discussing with them how they can improve their service – with 19 out of 20 respondents agreeing the frequency of Sunday train services must improve, there is a clear case here for change.
“Thanks to all residents who have contributed their views to this survey.”
Lynne Milligan, customer services director for Arriva Trains Wales, said: “We have met regularly with Vikki Howells and other key stakeholders to discuss our timetable and Sunday services and we are currently considering a number of proactive options. The feedback of those communities across the Cynon Valley is important in shaping where we allocate our finite resources. Once we have considered the result of this survey we hope to be able to make a positive announcement in the coming months.
“We’d like to thank Vikki for providing this information.”