Recommended T3 route between Aberystwyth and Wrexham and lack of T2/T1 (Bangor to Carmarthen) connectivity in Aberystwyth

Reply-To: john.mct@btinternet.com

 

 

 

Dear Alun Williams,

 

On 24/04/2018 the First Minister of Wales made a statement to the Welsh Assembly saying _“”regarding the question of whether we’re planning to expand the service, that is true; we are at present working with local authorities to look at new routes, namely Bangor to Chirk and Oswestry, and also from Wrexham to Newtown””_

 

On 16/05/2018 I was informed by Gwynedd Council that Ceredigion Council are a partner in the  Trawscymru T2/T3 Service Delivery Group.

 

I wish to place a Freedom of Information Request (not a “query”

under the Ceredigion Customer Charter) regarding a recommended new T3 route between Wrexham and Aberystwyth and lack of connectivity in Aberystwyth on the T2/T1 (Bangor to Carmarthen) services .

 

RECOMMENDED NEW T3 ROUTE BETWEEN WREXHAM AND ABERYSTWYTH

 

On 14/11/2017 Ken Skates in a letter sent to Alun Williams, Ceredigion Councillor for Transport commissioned a “high level” review of a T3 Trawscymru Aberystwyth to Wrexham route. The “high level” review was in line with the recommendation of an independent report on Trawscymru by the Bevan Foundation, which said the T3 route should run from Wrexham to Aberystwyth and not from Wrexham to Barmouth.

 

Ceredigion Council say that, despite six months elapsing since the commissioning of the “high level” review, Ceredigion Council hold no documentation whatsoever on the “high level” review, and they have not been involved in any discussions on a “high level” review . The Ceredigion Group Manager Local Environment Services has said  _“”we feel this should not be pursued at this time”_”. However a Ceredigion Senior Business Support Officer has recently contradicted this by saying _“”The decision to not pursue the __commissioned “high level” review of a T3 Trawscymru Aberystwyth to Wrexham route is not a decision for Ceredigion Council and no such decision has been made.__  Ceredigion Council will engage with a review if, as, and when required “”_

 

The First Minister of Wales in April 2018 announced in the Welsh Assembly that two new Trawscymru routes were under consideration neither of which involved a route to Aberystwyth.  In February 2018 I informed Ceredigion Council that the “high level” review of a T3 Trawscymru Aberystwyth to Wrexham route was being ignored, but Ceredigion Council have refused to complain and have refused to raise the subject with the Welsh Government.

 

I would wish therefore to ask the following FOIA questions of Ceredigion Council :-

 

(1) Are Ceredigion Council a partner in the Trawscymru T2/T3 Service Delivery Group?

 

(2) Who are the other partners in the Trawscymru T2/T3 Service Delivery Group?

 

(3) Do the partners in the Trawscymru T2/T3 Service Delivery Group agree changes to the T2 and T3 timetables?.

 

(4) If the answer to (3) is not “yes” could Ceredigion Council say who does agree changes to the T2 and T3 timetables?.

 

(5) Are meetings held involving the partners of the Trawscymru T2/T3 Service Delivery Group  ? .

 

(6) If meetings of the Trawscymru T2/T3 Service Delivery Group are held could you tell me the dates on which they have been held between

14/11/2017 (when Ken Skates commissioned a “high level” review of a

T3 Trawscymru Aberystwyth to Wrexham route) and the present.?    Did

Ceredigion Council attend any such meetings of the Trawscymru T2/T3 Service Delivery Group?

 

(7) Are meeting minutes produced for the Trawscymru T2/T3 Service Delivery Group and if so do Ceredigion Council hold copies of those minutes and are they available for public examination ?

 

(8) If meetings are not held or if meeting minutes are not produced how is the business carried out by the Trawscymru T2/T3 Service Delivery Group recorded?.

 

(9) Has the subject of the “high level” review of a T3 route from Aberystwyth to Wrexham every been raised or discussed by any of the partners in the Trawscymru T2/T3 Service Delivery Group?.

 

(10) If the subject of the “high level” review of a T3 route from Aberystwyth to Wrexham has been raised or discussed by any of the partners in the Trawscymru T2/T3 Service Delivery Group is there any documentation available on this subject from the Trawscymru T2/T3 Service Delivery Group which can be released? .

 

(11) If the answer to (9) is “no” or “not specifically” could Ceredigion Council say why they did not raise the subject of the “high level” review of a T3 route from Aberystwyth to Wrexham with the Trawscymru T2/T3 Service Delivery Group ?.

 

(12) If the subject of the “high level” review of a T3 route from Aberystwyth to Wrexham was raised in  the Trawscymru T2/T3 Service Delivery Group, could Ceredigion Council provide the content of the consultation/discussion?.

 

(13) In January 2018 extra T3 services were introduced on the Wrexham to Barmouth route, and the holding back of the T2 Bangor to Aberystwyth services was increased by a further 5 minutes, (to wait in Dolgellau for the T3 service from Wrexham).  Could Ceredigion Council say why they did not question this action with the T2/T3 Service Delivery Group,  when Ceredigion Council were aware of the commissioning of the “high level” review of a T3 route from Aberystwyth to Wrexham by Ken Skates in November 2017, which was communicated to Councillor Williams by letter from Ken Skates on 14/11/2017 ? .

 

(14) Ceredigion Council say they hold no documentation on the subject of the “high level” review of a T3 route from Aberystwyth to Wrexham.

Could Ceredigion Council say whether the subject has been raised in Council meetings or in Council Committee meetings.  For example before Councillor Alun Williams wrote to Ken Skates was the subject covered in such meetings within Ceredigion Council and after Ken Skates commissioned the “high level” review and wrote to Alun Williams on

14/11/2017 was the subject covered in such meetings within Ceredigion Council ?. Is there no documentation anywhere within the Council on the subject of the “high level” review of a T3 route from Aberystwyth to Wrexham ? .

 

(15) In view of the 24th April 2018 announcement by the First Minister regarding the 2 new Trawscymru routes under review which do not involve new routes in  Aberystwyth , will Ceredigion Council {a) discuss the lack of action on the “high level” review in Council and/or (b) contact the Welsh Government to ask why the “high level” review has not taken place ?.

 

LACK OF CONNECTIVITY IN ABERYSTWYTH ON THE T2/T1 (BANGOR TO CARMARTHEN) SERVICES

 

On 16/05/2018 I was informed by Gwynedd Council that Ceredigion Council are a partner in the  Trawscymru T2/T3 Service Delivery Group.

 

Gwyned Council have previously said that they manage the T2 service contract (Bangor to Aberystwyth), that Ceredigion Council are partners in the T2 contract and that the changes in January 2018 to the Trawscymru T2 timetable were agreed by all partners.  Powys Council have said they are partners to the T2 contract.  Ceredigion Council say they are NOT partners to the T2 contract and the changes in January 2018 to the Trawscymru T2 timetable was not subject to Ceredigion County Council’s agreement.

 

In 2016 Carmarthenshire Council who manage the T1 service contract (Aberystwyth to Carmarthen) said that Ceredigion Council were partners in the T1 service contract and that a copy of the T1 contract had been supplied to Ceredigion Council.  In response to a request to change the

T1 departure time in Aberystwyth from 18.40 to 18.45 to allow the T2

15.35 departure from Bangor to arrive in Aberystwyth at 18.40 and connect with a new T1 18.45 departure, Carmarthenshire Council said they did not object to the change but pointed out the consequences, (which was a reduction of the connection time at Carmarthen station to the last train to Cardiff from 10 minutes to 5 minutes).  Carmarthenshire Council said a change to T1 departure in Aberystwyth to 18.45 could only be made

if all the contract partners agreed to the change   Ceredigion Council

who were partners in the T1 service contract then objected to the change to departure time in Aberystwyth  . The change to T1 departure time of

18.45 was not made and the T2/T1 (Bangor to Carmarthen) connection at

18.40 in Aberystwyth remained precarious.      In 2016 Ceredigion

Council were therefore partners in the T1 service contract and the Trawscymru T1 timetable was subject to Ceredigion County Council’s

agreement.    In 2018 Ceredigion Council say they are not partners to

the T2 contract and the changes in January 2018 to the Trawscymru T2 timetable were not subject to Ceredigion County Council’s agreement.

However in 2018 Ceredigion Council is now a partner in the Trawscymru

T2/T3 Service Delivery Group.

 

I therefore wish to ask the following questions of Ceredigion Council :-

 

 

(16) Can Ceredigion Council explain why in 2016 in relation to the T1 service contract , Ceredigion Council were partners in the T1 service contract managed by Carmarthenshire Council and changes to the T1 timetable were subject to Ceredigion Council agreement,  whilst in 2018 in relation to the T2 service contract Ceredigion Council say exactly

the opposite.?    In 2018 Ceredigion Council say they are not partners

to the T2 service contract and T2 timetable changes are not subject to

Ceredigion County Council’s agreement.    Can Ceredigion Council also

explain why in 2018 both Gwynedd Council (who manage the T2 contract) and Powys Council who is a partner in the T2 contract believe that Ceredigion Council is a partner to the T2 contract and that all partners agreed to the January 2018 T2 timetable changes.?

 

(17) Are Ceredigion Council partners in any other Service Delivery Groups like the  Trawscymru T2/T3 Service Delivery Group ?

 

(18) Is there a Service Delivery Group associated with the T2/T1 services,  which should connect in Aberystwyth ?.

 

(19) If there is no  T2/T1 Service Delivery Group could Ceredigion Council say how they address connectivity problems between T2 and T1 in

Aberystwyth ?.   Which Service Delivery Group or organisation(s)

/individual(s)  should deal with issues of T2/T1 connectivity in Aberystwyth ? .

 

(20) Is there a Service Delivery Group group associated with the T2/T5 services which both provide services into and out of Aberystwyth  ?.

 

(21) In consultations on the January 2018 changes to the T2 timetable, (which were carried out for the benefit of passengers on the T3 service from Wrexham)  did Ceredigion Council inform the Trawscymru T2/T3 Service Delivery Group that (a) the T2 timetable changes were detrimental in 4 instances to T2/T1 connecting services in Aberystwyth and (b) that 2 of the changes made to the T2 service in January 2018 reversed actions to improve T2/T1 connectivity in Aberystwyth taken by the previous Transport Minister (Edwina Hart) and the Traffic Commissioner for Wales  ?.

 

(22) If the answer to (21) is “No” or “Not Specifically” could Ceredigion Council give the reason that the above 2 issues ,(a) and (b), were not raised  by Ceredigion Council with the Trawscymru T2/T3 Service Delivery Group  ?.

 

(23) Ceredigion Council have said they did not discuss the January 2018 changes to the T2 timetable with Carmarthenshire Council (who manage the

T1 Aberystwyth to Carmarthen service contract),  despite the fact that the T2 timetable changes were detrimental in 3 instances to T1 connecting services to Carmarthen in Aberystwyth and despite the fact that Carmarthenshire Council are not members of the Trawscymru T2/T3 Service Delivery Group . Could Ceredigion Council give the reason why the changes detrimental to T1 connecting services in Aberystwyth were not discussed with Carmarthenshire Council  ? .

 

(24) In Dolgellau there is a Quality Partnership Agreement in place which allows the T2 (Bangor to Aberystwyth ) service to wait 5 minutes beyond its departure time to wait for late running T3 services from Wrexham. Could Ceredigion Council say whether, as a partner in the Trawscymru T2/T3 Service Delivery Group,  Ceredigion Council agreed to this Quality Partnership Agreement?

 

(25) I appreciate that there is no connectivity in Aberystwyth between

Trawscymru T1 and T2 services going Northwards.   However could

Ceredigion Council say whether a Quality Partnership Agreement for connections in Aberystwyth on the T2/T1 route going South (ie the T1 Carmarthen  service to wait for late running T2 services into Aberystwyth from Bangor/Dolgellau)  has been discussed by Ceredigion Council with the Trawscymru T2/T3 Service Delivery Group and Carmarthenshire Council (who manage the T1 contract)  ? .

 

YOURS SINCERELY

 

John McTighe