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SARPA is the local rail users group for the Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth
line
running from the English border through Montgomeryshire to the coast of
North
Ceredigion and ending up in the increasingly important University (and
Assembly administration
) town of
Aberystwyth. We exist to preserve and promote the line so that there is a
more sustainable
transport system for future generations. SARPA is one of the more active
rail
user groups in Wales and https://tfw.gov.wales/We are continually campaigning on
various issues from train times and frequency to station maintenance and
welcome any comments anybody has about the rail service in Mid Wales.
The Wales and Borders Franchise changed hands in October 2018 and the bid has been won by KeolisAmey. We look forward to working with the new operator, who run under the brand name "Transport for Wales".
It was great to see so many people at our Annual General Meeting in Machynlleth at the
beginning of October. I'd like to extend warm congratulations to two new officers: Sarah Harvey,
our Secretary, and Bill Redfern, our Membership Secretary and Treasurer. I'm sure both of
them will make a valuable contribution. Of course, we also discussed our hopes and fears for
the Cambrian Lines.
At a time which is full of promises for the future, but which is also full of current difficulties,
it's clear that SARPA is more relevant than ever before.
On the one hand, new trains are on the way (in 4 years), and this in itself is promising.
Certainly, it's great to see Transport for Wales promising things like lots of tables on the trains
and luggage racks - things that we have been fighting for - citing the feedback that they have
received from stakeholders. By continuing to push for an internal layout on the trains which
reflects the aspirations of passengers on the Cambrian, we can ensure major improvements
on the line.
On the other hand, the recent performance in general has been appalling. There have been
staff shortages, and there are shortages of carriages whilst many of them are being modified
to accessibility standards that were announced about 20 years ago. Although trains need to
be made accessible to disabled passengers, much less trouble would have been caused if Arriva
had begun this work before.
But anyway - many passengers have complained about the current standards of service. A
great example of this was the August bank holiday - a very busy time on a railway like the
Cambrian - where many trains were cancelled and the rest tended to be short formed. This
kind of thing has been seen for several months.
Certainly we need to continue to push for features such as tables, seats that align with
windows, luggage racks and so on in the new trains, but we cannot ignore the need to push
for improvements to the services over the next 4 years. Cancelled or short-formed trains are
a huge disadvantage for passengers and for the local economy, and it can turn people away
from the railway. Therefore we will raise the subject fairly regularly over at least the months
to come.
Jeff Smith
Aberystwyth
October 2018
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