Request to Gwynedd Council regarding Trawscymru T2 timetable changes to restore T2/T1 Bangor to Carmarthen connectivity in Aberystwyth.

Reply-To: john.mct@

 

Dear Gwawr Owen ,

 

The request below was made on 21/06/2018 and a reply should therefore have been made within 20 working days ie by 16/07/2018.

 

Yours Sincerely

 

Dr John McTighe

 

—-Original message—-

Subject :

> Request to Gwynedd Council regarding Trawscymru T2 timetable changes

> to restore T2/T1 Bangor to Carmarthen connectivity in Aberystwyth.

>

>> copies Traffic Commissioner , Welsh Assembly Members, Gwynedd Council

>> members, Powys Council members, Ceredigion Council members,

>> Carmarthenshire Council members, Aberystwyth Council members.

>>

>> Dear Gwawr Owen ,

>>

>> With respect to the information provided by Gwynedd Council on

>> 28/03/2018 relating to Freedom of Information request T938,  the

>> following replies were given by Gwynedd Council .    Against each

>> reply a comment is included, which reflects recent statements made by

>> Simon Jones (the Director of Transport, Department for Economy and

>> Infrastructure, Welsh Government),  and which requests Gwynedd

>> Council to clarify their answers made on 28/03/2018  :-

>>

>> Question (1) Are Powys and Ceredigion Councils partners along with

>> the bus service provider to the T2 contract managed by Gwynedd

>> Council?

>>

>> Reply on 28/03/2018  (1) “Yes”.

>>

>> Comment (1) The Welsh Government on 05/06/2018 have said that there

>> are only 2 partners in each Trawscymru contract , the Local Authority

>> managing the Trawscymru contract and the bus service provider.

>>

>> AS MANAGER OF THE T2 CONTRACT DO GWYNEDD COUNCIL NOW WISH TO CHANGE

>> THE “YES” TO A “NO” OR DO GWYNEDD COUNCIL STILL BELIEVE POWYS AND

>> CEREDIGION COUNCILS ARE PARTNERS ALONG WITH THE BUS SERVICE PROVIDER

>> TO THE T2 CONTRACT. ?

>>

>> Question (11) Are Gwynedd Council aware of the published Welsh

>> Government Transport strategy (page 48) which states   _“”There

>> will be improvements __to the north-south __TrawsCambria__ bus

>> service (T2/T1) and improvements will be concentrated on the

>> reliability and journey time on the route. “”_?

>>

>> Reply on 28/03/2018  (11) “Yes”

>>

>> Question (13) Did Gwynedd Council propose a change to the T2

>> departure time in Aberystwyth from 10.05 to 10.00am and if so why ?

>>

>> Reply on 28/03/2018  “”No but it is effective to have a clockface

>> timetable. Bus is to wait up to 5 minutes for arrival of service

>> T1/T5. “”

>>

>> Comment (13) The Welsh Government on 05/06/2018 have said that

>> _“”__the operation of each Trawscymru bus service is the

>> responsibility of the relevant contracting local authority . This

>> includes determining the timetable for each Trawscymru service.””._

>>

>> AS MANAGER OF THE T2 CONTRACT DO GWYNEDD COUNCIL STILL MAINTAIN THEY

>> DID NOT PROPOSE THE CHANGE TO THE T2 DEPARTURE TIME IN ABERYSTWYTH

>> FROM 10.05 TO 10.00AM ?    IF GWYNEDD COUNCIL STILL MAINTAIN THEY

>> DID NOT PROPOSE THE CHANGE TO THE T2 DEPARTURE TIME IN ABERYSTWYTH

>> COULD GWYNEDD COUNCIL SAY WHICH ORGANISATION DID PROPOSE THE CHANGE

>> TO THE T2 DEPARTURE TIME IN ABERYSTWYTH FROM 10.05 TO 10.00AM.?

>>

>> Question (14) Did Gwynedd Council propose a change to most of the T2

>> arrival and departure times in Dolgellau which resulted in the

>> planned timetable wait of the T2 in Dolgellau being increased from 5

>> minutes to 10 minutes If so could Gwynedd Council give the reason

>> they were proposed ?

>>

>> Reply on 28/03/2018 (14)     “No”

>>

>> Comment (14) The Welsh Government on 05/06/2018 have said that

>> _“”__the operation of each Trawscymru bus service is the

>> responsibility of the relevant contracting local authority . This

>> includes determining the timetable for each Trawscymru service.””_.

>>

>> AS MANAGER OF THE T2 CONTRACT DO GWYNEDD COUNCIL STILL MAINTAIN THEY

>> DID NOT PROPOSE THE CHANGES TO THE T2 TIMETABLE ON 01/01/2018.?

>>

>> Question (15) If the answer to (14) is “No” could Gwynedd Council say

>> which organisation proposed a change to most of the T2 arrival and

>> departure times in Dolgellau which resulted in the planned timetable

>> wait of the T2 in Dolgellau being increased from 5 minutes to 10

>> minutes and could Gwynedd Council give the reason these changes were

>> made ?

>>

>> Reply on 28/03/2018  (15)  “Operational changes to ensure

>> connectivity with T3.”

>>

>> Comment (15) The Welsh Government on 05/06/2018 have said that “”THE

>> OPERATION OF EACH TRAWSCYMRU BUS SERVICE IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE

>> RELEVANT CONTRACTING LOCAL AUTHORITY . THIS INCLUDES DETERMINING THE

>> TIMETABLE FOR EACH TRAWSCYMRU SERVICE.””.

>>

>> AS MANAGER OF BOTH THE T2 AND THE T3 CONTRACTS DO GWYNEDD COUNCIL

>> STILL MAINTAIN THEY DID NOT PROPOSE THE CHANGES AND COULD GWYNEDD

>> COUNCIL ANSWER THE ORIGINAL QUESTION AND “SAY WHICH ORGANISATION

>> PROPOSED A CHANGE TO MOST OF THE T2 ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE TIMES IN

>> DOLGELLAU”  ?

>>

>> Could Gwynedd Council please also look at the following requests in

>> relation to the T2/T3 services.

>>

>> (1) DO GWYNEDD COUNCIL PROVIDE COPIES OF THE T2 CONTRACT TO ANY OTHER

>> ORGANISATIONS IN ADDITION TO LLOYDS COACHES AND IF SO COULD

>> GWYNEDD COUNCIL NAME THOSE ORGANISATIONS WHO RECEIVE A COPY.?    DO

>> GWYNEDD COUNCIL PROVIDE COPIES OF THE T2 CONTRACT TO THE TRAWSCYMRU

>> NETWORK MANAGER OR TO ANY OTHER PERSON WITHIN THE WELSH GOVERNMENT?

>> COULD GWYNEDD COUNCIL PROVIDE THE TEXT OF ANY PART OF THE CONTRACT

>> DOCUMENT THAT DEALS WITH WHICH ORGANISATION HAS RESPONSIBILITY FOR

>> THE TIMETABLE AND RESPONSIBILITY FOR DAILY OPERATIONS AND

>> RESPONSIBILITY FOR the bus route. ?

>>

>> (2) DO GWYNEDD COUNCIL RECEIVE COPIES OF REPORTS OF THE WORK OF BUS

>> COMPLIANCE OFFICERS  ON T2 AND T3 BUS PUNCTUALITY AND RELIABILITY

>> FROM BUS USERS CYMRU.?

>>

>> The reports record for Trawscymru services the percentage of services

>> which arrived within 5 minutes of their published arrival time

>>

>> (3) ON THE LAST T2 SERVICE OF THE DAY , WHERE THE ARRIVAL TIME WAS

>> CHANGED FROM 18.40 TO 18.50 ON 01/01/2018 COULD GWYNEDD COUNCIL SAY

>> WHICH ORGANISATION PROPOSED THE UNNECESSARY 5 MINUTE WAIT IN

>> MACHYNLETH AND THE DIVERSION OFF THE A487 ON THE EDGE OF ABERYSTWYTH

>> THROUGH THE VILLAGE OF COMINS COCH AND THE WAUNFAWR HOUSING ESTATE ?

>>

>>

>> COULD GWYNEDD COUNCIL  PLEASE ARRANGE FOR THE UNNECESSARY 5 MINUTE

>> WAIT IN MACHYNLETH AND THE DIVERSION OFF THE A487 ON THE EDGE OF

>> ABERYSTWYTH THROUGH THE VILLAGE OF COMINS COCH AND THE WAUNFAWR

>> HOUSING ESTATE TO BE REMOVED AND THE T2 ARRIVAL TIME IN ABERYSTWYTH

>> RETURNED TO 18.40 ?

>>

>> This request to Gwynedd Council will be accompanied by a request to

>> Carmarthenshire Council to change the departure time of the T1

>> service from Aberystwyth to Carmarthen (currently at 18.40).to make

>> the T2 and T1 connecting services which will be of benefit to Gwynedd

>> residents wishing to travel between Bangor and Carmarthen where they

>> will be able to connect with the last train of the day from

>> Carmarthen to Cardiff. (see Addendum 1)

>>

>> Before the T3 Wrexham to Barmouth service was introduced the last T2

>> of the day from Bangor left Dolgellau at 17.20 and connected in

>> Aberystwyth with the last T1 departure of the day to Carmarthen at

>> 18.40.    Following the introduction of the T3 Wrexham to Barmouth

>> service in 2014 the last T2 of the day from Bangor left Dolgellau at

>> 17.35 (not 17.20) and arrived in Aberystwyth at 18.40 so that

>> connection with the last T1 departure of the day to Carmarthen at

>> 18.40 was intermittent .   On 01/01/2018 Gwynedd Council changed the

>> T2 timetable .   For all T2 departures from Bangor the departure

>> time was brought forward by 10 minutes , the journey time between

>> Bangor and Porthmadog was increased by 10 minutes and the total

>> journey time between Bangor and Aberystwyth was increased by 10

>> minutes, but the T2 arrival times in Aberystwyth remained the same .

>> This 10 minute increase in journey time on 01/01/2018 was to cater

>> for future delays when work on the new _bypass_ between Caernarfon

>> and _Bontnewydd would start (_Construction could start in November

>> 2018 !! ) _.  The one exception to the 10 minute increase was the

>> 18.40 T2 arrival in Aberystwyth where_ the departure time from Bangor

>> was brought forward by 10 minutes, the journey time between Bangor

>> and Porthmadog was increased by 10 minutes and the total journey time

>> between Bangor and Aberystwyth was increased by 20 minutes (not 10

>> minutes) so that the T2 then arrived in Aberystwyth at 18.50 and

>> connection with the last T1 departure of

>> the day to Carmarthen at 18.40 was completely impossible ,_.   The

>> extra 10 minutes of journey time on the last T2 of the day was due to

>> delays introduced on the last 15 miles before reaching Aberystwyth.

>> An _unnecessary 5 minute wait in Machynleth and a diversion off the

>> A487 on the edge of Aberystwyth through the village of Comins Coch

>> and the Waunfawr Housing estate were

>> introduced.   Powys Council have said they did not request the

>> unnecessary 5 minute wait in Machynleth and Ceredigion Council have

>> said they did not request a diversion off the A487 on the edge of

>> Aberystwyth.    Could Gwynedd Council  please arrange for the

>> unnecessary 5 minute wait in Machynleth and the diversion off the

>> A487 on the edge of Aberystwyth through the village of Comins Coch

>> and the Waunfawr Housing estate to be removed and the T2 arrival time

>> in Aberystwyth returned to 18.40 ?

>>

>> (4) COULD GWYNEDD COUNCIL  PLEASE ARRANGE FOR THE CHANGE TO T2

>> DEPARTURE TIME FROM 10.05 TO 10.00AM MADE BY GWYNEDD COUNCIL ON

>> 01/01/2018  TO BE REVERSED AND PUT THE T2 DEPARTURE TIME BACK TO

>> 10.05AM  ?

>>

>> The 10.0 am T2 departure from Aberystwyth to Bangor was changed to

>> 10.05am by the previous  Transport Minister , Edwina hart (see

>> attached letter reference EH/01450/16 dated 29/04/2016).   On

>> 01/01/2018 Gwynedd Council changed the T2 departure time in

>> Aberystwyth from 10.05 to 10.00am. This change reversed the decision

>> taken by the previous Transport Minister, Edwina Hart .

>>

>> Three minutes is not enough to guarantee connection with the 9.57 T5

>> arrival in Aberystwyth from Cardigan . This particular T5 is a

>> service not unlike the T3 Wrexham to Barmouth service, where a large

>> proportion of the journey is as diversions off the main route to the

>> coastal villages of Aberporth and Newquay. .   Gwynedd Council as

>> contract managers of both the T2 and T3 contracts have made sure that

>> the T2 services are held back by 10 minutes to wait for the T3 from

>> Wrexham and T2 services also have a further 5 minutes wait under a

>> Quality Partnership Agreement to wait for the T3 from Wrexham. If 10

>> minutes is required for the T2 to connect with the T3 then 8 minutes

>> for the T2 to connect with the T5 is not unreasonable and the T2

>> departure time in Aberystwyth should be put back to

>> 10.05am .   .

>>

>> On 28/03/2018  Gwynedd Council tried to justify the change to a

>> 10.00am T2 departure time in Aberystwyth by saying_  “”__it is

>> effective to have a clockface timetable””__ _ . The following

>> statement is taken from the documentation of the Traffic

>> Commissioner. _“”COMMISSIONERS ARE OF THE VIEW THAT IT IS MORE

>> IMPORTANT TO OFFER PASSENGERS A TIMETABLE THAT CAN NORMALLY BE

>> ACHIEVED RATHER THAN ONE WHICH IN THEORY RELIES UPON CLOCK FACE

>> HEADWAY “WHICH IS EASY FOR THE PUBLIC TO REMEMBER” BUT WHICH

>> RARELY ACHIEVES ITS ASPIRATIONS.””.     _Could Gwynedd Council

>> therefore arrange for the T2 departure time in Aberystwyth to be

>> changed back to 10.05 ?

>>

>> (5) COULD GWYNEDD COUNCIL  PLEASE CONSIDER A DIRECT ROUTE FOR THE T3

>> SERVICE BETWEEN LLANGOLLEN AND WREXHAM ON THE A5/A483 SAVING 15

>> MINUTES IN JOURNEY TIME.?

>>

>> COULD GWYNEDD COUNCIL  PLEASE ALSO CONSIDER REMOVING THE QUALITY

>> PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE T2 AND T3 SERVICES IN DOLGELLAU.?.

>>

>>

>> The Quality Partnership Agreement is ineffective as the T3 service

>> from Wrexham is frequently more than 15 minutes late into Dolgellau

>> and T2 services are therefore being held back unnecessarily.  The 15

>> minute delays to the T2 in Dolgellau have seriously disrupted the

>> connectivity between T2/T1 in Aberystwyth and in reply to Question

>> (11) on 28/03/2018  Gwynedd Council indicated they were aware of the

>> published Welsh Government Transport strategy (page 48) which states

>> _“”There will be improvements to the __north-south __TrawsCambria bus

>> service (T2/T1) and improvements will be concentrated on the

>> reliability and journey time on the route.

>> “”_.    The published Welsh Government Transport strategy has

>> not been employed.by Gwynedd Council with the 15 minute delays to the

>> T2 services in Dolgellau and this is all the more surprising since

>> the 15 minute delays are to the detriment of Gwynedd residents

>> wishing to use the T2/T1 route between Bangor and Carmarthen.. .

>>

>> Gwynedd Council should also be aware that the No 5 service by Arriva

>> runs from Llangollen to Wrexham using the same route as the T3 via

>> ruabon station and Johnstown .   It operates every 15 minutes/half

>> hour (24 services per day in both directions) and takes 35 minutes.

>> (Exactly the same time as the T3 which also takes 35 minutes ).

>> The Trawscymru T3 service could easily employ a direct route between

>> Llangollen and Wrexham on the A5/A483.    This would save 15 minutes

>> in journey time which would mean a more sensible arrangement could be

>> put in place in Dolgellau avoiding the 15 minute delays to the T2

>> services in Dolgellau and allowing restoration of connectivity on the

>> T2/T1 Bangor to Carmarthen route in Aberystwyth.

>>

>> Yours Sincerely

>>

>> Dr John McTighe

>>

>> _ADDENDUM 1    ARRIVAL TIMES OF THE T1 ABERYSTWYTH TO CARMARTHEN

>> SERVICE AT CARMARTHEN RAILWAY STATION BETWEEN JULY 2016 AND NOW._

>>

>> In 2016 I requested that the T1 departure in Aberystwyth be changed

>> from 18.40 to 18.45 to allow connection with the T2 arrival from

>> Bangor at 18.40 or alternatively the 18.40 T1 departure time to be

>> delayed by upto 5 minutes to wait for the 18.40  T2 arrival under a

>> Quality Partnership Agreement in the same way as the T2 services

>> delayed their departures  in Dolgellau to wait for late T3 services

>> from Wrexham.  This change would have resulted in 5 minutes of

>> connection time of the T1 with the train in Carmarthen. The

>> Trawscymru Network Manager refused to take either of these actions

>> because he said the T1 needed 10 minutes to connect with the last

>> train to Cardiff.   The Trawscymru Network Manager refused to

>> examine T1 arrival times at Carmarthen railway station in order to

>> assess whether it was possible to change the T1 departure time in

>> Aberystwyth from 18.40 to 18.45 .

>>

>> I have therefore conducted my own investigation on  17 journeys from

>> llanrhystud to Carmarthen using the T1 service (9.40 or 10.40

>> departures from Aberystwyth) between July 2016 and now with the

>> following results

>>

>> 1 T1 service arrived Carmarthen railway station 2 mins early

>>

>> 3 T1 services arrived Carmarthen railway station 1 min early

>>

>> 2 T1 services arrived Carmarthen railway station on time

>>

>> 6 T1 services arrived Carmarthen railway station 1 minute late

>>

>> 3 T1 services arrived Carmarthen railway station 2 minutes late

>>

>> 1 T1 service arrived Carmarthen railway station 4 minutes late

>> (service was 9 minutes late when it left Llanrhystud)

>>

>> 1 T1 service arrived Carmarthen railway station 13  minutes late

>> (delay between Pencader and Carmarthen – driver apologised due to low

>> loader delivery for a wind farm)

>>

>> The above shows that all T1 services arrive at Carmarthen railway

>> station well within 5 minutes of the published arrival time . The

>> only exception to this is where an unexpected event occurs such as an

>> RTC,  bus breakdown or as in the case of the service 13 minutes late

>> the road blocked by escort vehicles/police. Even where a bus is late

>> at the start of a journey the timetable should be designed to allow

>> the service to make up time on the rest of the journey and this was

>> the case with the service that arrived 9 minutes late in llanrhystud

>> but made up 5 minutes of time on the rest of the journey and arrived

>> only 4 minutes late at Carmarthen railway station .  The above

>> timings were on journeys in the morning during a working day when

>> traffic on the roads would be high. The T1 journey which I asked to

>> be changed (departure in Aberystwyth to be changed from 18.40 to

>> 18.45) is one that is running in the evening when traffic is light,

>> no road maintenance is taking place and hold ups would be minimal.

>> Based on the above evidence there was no basis for the Trawscymru

>> Network Manager to refuse to make the change from 18.40 to 18.45 and

>> he should have been able to quickly do a similar investigation to the

>> one above on the 18.40 Aberystwyth T1 departure.