Rail commuters get 200,000 extra seats
BELEAGUERED train commuters in south Wales will get some relief as 200,000 new seats will be available from today.
Passengers have been complaining about overcrowding on Arriva Trains Wales (ATW) services and have called for more carriages.
A parliamentary report published in January insisted that more trains are provided to overcome what it deemed as the huge failure of the design of the franchise operated by Arriva Trains Wales and claimed the people of Wales had been “deprived” of improvements to the rail network.
In what Arriva Trains Wales described as “one of the most significant improvements to Valleys commuters in a decade” a number of services will see an increase in capacity.
An extra 600 seats will be added to the Rhymney, Barry and Taff lines each day to help with the morning rush-hour – with the number of carriages doubling in most cases from two to four carriages.
Other weekday improvements include 130 more seats (to all stations except Grangetown) on the 8.13am service from Barry to Cardiff Central, and 104 extra seats on the 6.47am service from Treherbert to Cardiff.
There will also be 208 extra seats on the 7.50am train from Radyr to Cardiff via Llandaff, 130 more seats on the 6.32am Rhymney to Cardiff service, 130 extra seats on the 6.09am Rhymney to Cardiff service and an additional 104 seats on the 5.26pm Merthyr service.
New weekday services have also been added, including a 7.52am service from Cardiff Central to Barry, a 7.57am service from Cardiff Central to Radyr, an 8.13am service from Barry to Cardiff Central and an 8.13am train from Radyr to Cardiff Central via Llandaff.
But the changes do mean the loss of one midday Penarth service and one midday Barry service. Arriva Trains Wales will be using the same number of trains it already has but is able to increase capacity because of Network Rail’s recent £300m signalling upgrade works and the new platform built at Cardiff Central station.
According to Arriva the changes, which come in today after a test day in March, will not mean an end to standing, and the need for extra carriages remains.
In its initial announcement Arriva said that, during the March trial, 98.2% of trains on the Valleys lines network arrived within five minutes of their scheduled time.
It said discussions with the Welsh Government about sourcing more rolling stock for Wales are continuing.
Announcing the changes ATW customer services director Lynne Milligan said: “We’re delighted to make these improvements and are confident they will make a real difference for our passengers.
“This is one of the most significant improvements to valleys commuters in a decade, since the opening of the Ebbw Vale line.
“We are confident that these changes will make a positive impact for people travelling into Cardiff during the commuter peaks.”
Andy Thomas, Wales route managing director at Network Rail Wales, added: “More trains are travelling through Cardiff than ever before, thanks to the work we completed over Christmas to modernise the railway in South Wales.
“The Cardiff Area Signalling Renewal (CASR) project has helped to bust congestion and deliver a more reliable railway across the Cardiff and Valleys network, as well as providing a brand new platform and waiting area at Cardiff Central.
“This work is a cornerstone of our Railway Upgrade Plan to build a bigger, better railway here in Wales. We will continue to work with our partners Arriva Trains Wales and Welsh Government to improve our railway for passengers.”