Trains boss takes trip as commuter
IT’S 6.26am at Bridgend railway station and there’s a man who resembles any other commuter introducing himself to staff.
Except he’s the boss. Alistair Gordon, CEO of Keolis UK – the company which runs trains in Wales – travelled with commuters to find out what the service is really like.
Keolis Amey was awarded the Wales and Borders rail franchise and replaced Arriva Trains Wales in October 2018. The franchise was awarded by Transport for Wales (TfW).
Keolis Amey has been fined more than £3m for missing targets – those fines are issued by TfW.
As Mr Gordon chats with a member of staff, flooding was the main topic as they monitored the situation on Tuesday morning.
As he asks the station staff what needs to be done. The answers are everything from a new waiting room to windows that need replacing and seats which are damaged.
Next stop is the mess room where staff have nowhere to sit.
“I at least think you need a sofa,” says Mr Gordon. The quip back is “if you want to get us Sky TV we won’t complain”.
The 7.07am to Cardiff left on time. Mr Gordon took his seat next to two passengers, one who says the new trains are much better.
Commuters tell him that steps like luggage storage have made a big difference.
Another commuter tells him that he needs to catch a bus to Bridgend to make the train, before work in Cardiff. He says any delay in that journey causes him issues with work.
When there were timetable changes it meant he was late.
A speed restriction was imposed on the service Mr Gordon travelled on due to flooding between Llanharan and Llantrisant.
As the train arrived at Pencoed, more passengers joined, but there were still seats.
The main gripes were the connections, mainly to London. The turnaround time means connections of around seven minutes.
“A small delay on this one causes havoc,” said one passenger.
Some travellers said the train was quieter and they thought it was because of fears of coronavirus.
“I know a lot of people who are choosing to work remotely,” said one.
Rhiannon Morgan and Lauren Morgan say they travel every day from Maesteg to Cardiff.
As Mr Gordon “how’s the service?”.
“Rubbish,” Rhiannon answers. “We know every day after work, we’re going to go and wait on the platform.
“It’s a long day and made longer by the trains. We pay over £1,000 for our tickets, but now I’m going to move to Cardiff. I didn’t want to because of the cost but I have to,” Rhiannon says. asks
“The service is definitely getting better, but it never leaves Cardiff on time. If it does, it’s rare.
“It’s never cancelled. It always runs, but it’s just late. And the platform changes. We’ve had to go to platform two quite often. Then you’ve got everyone running. But you feel you’ll miss it if you don’t run.”
Despite flooding, visible from the train along the River Ely, the train arrived on time.
The most common question Mr Gordon is asked is “when is it going to get better?”.
His answer is that when they took over, they said within three to five years. That’s a target he thinks is achievable.
They have also just signed a deal with Network Rail, the first in the UK, to take over infrastructure, so signalling and communications can now be directly handled – and improved – by Keolis Amey, he says.