Commuters face early start
COMMUTERS in Aberdare say they have to catch much earlier trains because they can’t count on the service.
Passengers who make the 60-minute journey to Cardiff are having to arrive at the station for the 5.51am train to ensure they are in work by 8am.
COMMUTERS in one Valleys town are saying they have to catch much earlier trains because they can’t count on the service they actually want turning up.
Passengers at Aberdare, who make the daily 60-minute journey to Cardiff, are having to arrive at the town’s station in time for the 5.51am departure to ensure they make it to their desks by 8am.
They insist it’s due to the increasing unreliability of the service provided by Transport For Wales and the recent spate of early morning cancellations which have resulted in large numbers of travellers clocking on late.
Some even fear facing disciplinary action at work as a result of late attendance.
Darren Jones is one of those on the pre-dawn run who huddle on the platform each morning to wonder if their train, or the next, will arrive on time – uncertainty made worse by the fact the electronic notice board at Aberdare hasn’t worked for the best part of a year.
“I live in Aberaman and don’t drive, so my day starts at 4.30am,” said the 35-year-old call centre manager.
“I walk to the station, all the while worrying about what to do if the train’s a no-show yet again.
“And last week that’s exactly what happened – on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, with both the 5.51 and 6.22 trains were cancelled.
“Lack of engines or staff is the usual reason, but the result is the same – namely, a talking to at work. How long before those jobs are put at risk because of time-keeping issues?”
He’s not alone in feeling frustrated with the early service on that line.
“There’s usually about 20 or so people also waiting when I get to the platform, most of whom are in the same situation as me,” said Darren.
“So if that first train is cancelled, there’s be double the amount of bodies waiting to catch the next one, and so on.
“And then, if only two carriages turn up, it’s a nightmare trying to get everyone on. I’ve seen quite a few left stranded at the station.”
Furthermore, Darren says that the lack of information available only compounds the problem.
“The screens at Aberdare haven’t worked for months and very often the online live service updates aren’t up-to-theminute enough, so no one knows if a train has been delayed or cancelled altogether.
“And, if there’s a replacement bus service laid on, we’ve no real way of knowing.”
A spokesman for Transport for Wales said: “We know just how important it is to our customers that we deliver a reliable service.
“Unfortunately last week saw some operational challenges around our network and we had no choice but to make some short notice amendments to early morning services from Aberdare.
“We would like to apologise to all those customers affected and to assure them we are doing all we can to improve the frequency and reliability of services.
“The problem with our electronic signage at the station is under investigation but, in the meantime we would encourage customers to use our journey check website and apps for up to the minute train information.”