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 Photo:- Robert Davies:-"Of Time and The Railway" |
THE SHREWSBURY - ABERYSTWYTH RAIL PASSENGERS' ASSOCIATION WELCOMES YOU TO THEIR WEBSITEThis page updated 10th March 2025 |
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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
Welsh Government 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 we are continually campaigning on
various issues from train times and frequency to station maintenance. We
welcome comments from anybody about the rail service in Mid Wales. Transport for Wales rail services were brought under Welsh Government control from February 2021. The takeover from KeolisAmey has taken place with day-to-day services now run by a publicly-owned company. This follows significant falls in passenger numbers during the Covid-19 pandemic. KeolisAmey will continue to be involved in operations, particularly in the South Wales region. Former British Railways Eastern Region manager, the late Gerard Fiennes pointed out very correctly that "the railway is judged by the comfort, speed, convenience, safety, punctuality and economy of its services". With its single line of way and an fairly intensive service, the Cambrian is quite a challenge for operators and a pitfall for those who are innocent of what they are letting themselves in for! After some time in the doldrums, there are signs that TfW are at last getting a grip on matters Cambrian. It is encouraging that reliability has improved and this is a key factor which will motivate people back to the railway after the hiatus of the Covid pandemic. Nevertheless, a theme which is repeated at various stakeholder meetings is that of overcrowding and lack of capacity. Indeed, it has even been suggested that there is not much point in publicising the merits of the route if there is no space on trains for extra passengers. TfW clearly still has some way to go, though there are signs that the rolling stock problems which have plagued the operator throughout Wales for some time are at last being solved, albeit slowly. As a group we remain somewhat unhappy that the new Class 197 units proposed for this line have less seats than the vehicles they will replace. We are not confident that they will answer in the longer term, given that an enhanced service which is promulgated to go full hourly will encourage more people to use the train, by virtue of the improved frequency. Twenty years ago, the provision of trains with just two cars was becoming unacceptable due to increased frequency of overcrowding. It was the cause of much dissatisfaction with the then operator, Arriva Trains Wales. TfW needs to learn from this and put in place the capacity which is needed for future growth. A belated response to very crowded trains will only damage their reputation. Meanwhile Network Rail have put in much effort to upgrade the route. This investment is well overdue and we should not forget that the Cambrian Lines were earmarked for complete shutdown just over fifty years ago, as part of a secret closure programme being considered by Edward Heath's government. The work has meant much disruption to services, which hopefully will decrease but the Cambrian has not had this much spent on it since the 1920s.  |
CHAIRMAN'S MESSAGE |
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Reliability on the Cambrian has become a hot topic recently. For some time, there have
been concerns about the reliability of services, but things have worsened in recent
months. Of course, Transport for Wales could not be blamed for the Talerddig disaster,
which has caused so much pain on a human level but which has also taken 2 units of
the class 158 out of service for a long time if not forever. SARPA requests that the
remaining units be kept on the routes between Birmingham and the Cambrian and the
services from Birmingham to north Wales that interact with those of the Cambrian, so
that the number of services that are cancelled or are too short could be reduced. We have now heard that services from the Cambrian will be terminated in Shrewsbury from the May timetable change onwards, in order to secure more units for the Cambrian. Although this will likely improve the situation in terms of train cancellations, the change will likely be inconvenient and we emphasize that the change needs to be across platforms, not between platform 3 and the rest of the platforms. SARPA also continues to request the reversal of the cuts to services on the coast line and we have heard in our recent meetings about the impact on people, communities and businesses of these cuts. We of course also continue to call for a full hourly service on the Cambrian throughout the year. There is good news of course. There is further investment in the line during March and April. This will of course lead to difficulty in the short term, but it is important for the future of the line. The new footbridge in Newtown is also progressing, which is encouraging. Jeff Smith Cadeirydd SARPA/SARPA Chair March 2025 |
| You can see what we said about the railway industry in the past by clicking on this link to our archive page. We have archived all the newsletters back to November 2001. |
| Views expressed on the SARPA website are those of contributors and not necessarily representative of the Association and its Officers as a whole. Information provided is published in good faith, but
the Association cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage arising therefrom. Photographs used on the site are copyright of the photographers and should not be used without their permission by third parties. The Webmaster reserves the right to abridge or amend copy. |
| Please note that hyperlinks
included in the text throughout this site are intended for the benefit and information of our visitors. We try to include links that will be helpful for the understanding of railway terminology. They do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation on our part. |
Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth Rail Passengers Association (SARPA) c/o Arosfa, 7 Railway Terrace, Heol y Doll, Machynlleth, Powys, SY20 8BJ Wales, United Kingdom © SARPA 2005-2025 All Rights Reserved Website:- Angus Eickhoff |