request to elin Jones/Ben Lake regarding KS/01983/18/response from the Minister Ken Skates reference KS/01983/18

Subject:	request to elin Jones/Ben Lake regarding KS/01983/18/response from the Minister Ken Skates reference KS/01983/18
Date:	2018-08-13 11:20
From:	L MCTIGHE <john.mct@btinternet.com>
To:	elin.jones@assembly.wales, ben.lake.mp@parliament.uk

Reply-To:

john.mct@btinternet.com

 

Copies   Aberystwyth Town Council,    Ceredigion Council , Welsh Assembly Members

Dear Elin Jones,

Why break the habits of the past 2 years?. You have provided no comments whatsoever over the past 2 years on the problems with Trawscymru services through Aberystwyth.

I am concerned that you have made no comment at all on the reply you have received from Ken Skates on 19/07/2018, which provides no evidence whatsoever that the “”high-level”” review of the Aberystwyth to Wrexham Trawscymru route which was commissioned by Ken Skates on 14/11/2017 has been carried out.  I would have thought that with your interest in Trawscymru bus services (no more cattle trucks) that you would have been concerned that the “”high-level”” review of the Aberystwyth to Wrexham Trawscymru route has not been carried out.. I would hope that following Ken Skates letter of 19/07/2018 you will be asking Ken Skates why he has not completed and reported on the “”high-level”” review of the Aberystwyth to Wrexham Trawscymru route which he commissioned on 14/11/2017.

Thank you for forwarding (on 03/08/2018) the letter from Ken Skates dated 19/07/2018.  However despite 2 requests to you to provide me with your letter to Ken Skates which you wrote on my behalf I have not been sent that letter, which is of some importance . The reason your letter to Ken Skates is of importance is that the reply from Ken Skates dated 19/07/2018 which you have just supplied to me does not address the points that I asked you to raise on my behalf.(see addendum 1). The reply is word for word the same as a unsolicited letter sent to me on 09/07/2018.by the Trawscymru Network Manager and cannot therefore be a reply by Ken Skates to your letter.

You also did not forward the review of the Wrexham to Barmouth Trawscymru route which is mentioned in Ken Skates letter.   However if it is a one page document titled  “Suggested Action Plan   Stuart Cole” then I already have it.    Just to be clear regarding the “”high-level”” review of the Aberystwyth to Wrexham Trawscymru route which was commissioned by Ken Skates on 14/11/2017 and the reply you have received regarding the review of the Wrexham to Barmouth Trawscymru route I have attached the following 2 files:-

(1) kskates14112017    –    the letter in which Ken Skates commissioned the “”high-level”” review of the Aberystwyth to Wrexham Trawscymru route

(2) scoleT3review09072018   –  the one page suggested action plan (??””high-level”” review ?? of the T3 Wrexham to Barmouth route)

Ken Skates commissioned a “”high-level”” review of the Aberystwyth to Wrexham Trawscymru route on 14/11/2017 and Professor Stuart Cole has carried out a “”high-level”” review of the Wrexham to Barmouth service.

I requested that you asked the Minister the following questions.  However because you have refused to provide me with your letter to Ken Skates I cannot say whether the text of the questions reflects the text that you used in your letter to the Minister.   I shall repeat each question and then comment on the reply you have received from Ken Skates.

Question (a) When will the review of the Aberystwyth to Wrexham Trawscymru route, which was recommended by the Winckler report and which was finally commissioned on 14/11/2017 (see attached letter kskates14112017) by the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport (Ken Skates), be completed , reported on and available for public examination?

Comment (a) The reply you have received (KS/01983/18) quotes Professor Cole has carried out his “”high-level”” review of the T3 service which links Wrexham to Barmouth .

The “”high-level”” review commissioned by Ken Skates on 14/11/2017 was NOT to review the T3 Wrexham to Barmouth service but was to review T3 services between Aberystwyth and Wrexham.

The one page “”high-level”” review of the T3 service which links Wrexham to Barmouth  (scoleT3review09072018) is not a review and does not even mention an Aberystwyth to Wrexham route.

The Bevan Foundation review of 2013 was a carefully considered 35 page document which made the recommendation that the feasibility should be examined of a T3 Wrexham to Aberystwyth route instead of Wrexham to Barmouth . This recommended feasibility study was never carried out and the Trawscymru Network Manager has already admitted this .  Therefore for a second time the Aberystwyth to Wrexham route has been totally ignored contrary to the instructions issued by Ken Skates to his officials on 14/11/2017.   There are 2 possibilities – either Ken Skates issued the wrong instruction to his officials on 14/11/2017 or his officials ignored his instructions and did their own thing.  Either way the Welsh Government are behaving in an unprofessional manner.

I would hope as AM for Ceredigion you would ask Ken Skates why the “”high-level”” review commissioned by Ken Skates on 14/11/2017 has not been carried out.

Question (b)  When will the Feasibilty Study/Review/Business Case, ( ie the justification document for the above T10/T11/T12 Trawscymru services), be reported on and available for public examination.?.

Comment (b) The reply you have received in KS/01983/18 quotes preparatory work has been carried out but it is inappropriate to release this work as the service is out to tender.

Is this not the wrong way round ?    Surely the Feasibilty Study/Review/Business Case should be published for public examination before the service is put out to tender. I would be grateful if you could ask Ken Skates why the  WelTAG process has not been used since it must be applied to all transport projects funded in part or in full by the Welsh Government.

The  WelTAG process was introduced by Ken Skates in 2017. and must be applied to ALL transport projects funded in part or in full by the Welsh Government.  The following points are taken from that document .

“”The Welsh Transport Appraisal (WelTAG) is a framework for thinking about proposed changes to the transport system. It contains best practice for the development, appraisal and evaluation of proposed transport interventions in Wales. WelTAG ensures a clear audit trail of decision-making, providing the justification for the promotion, or otherwise, of transport options.
WelTAG is designed to be used by people who have local knowledge of the particular issues that have prompted the desire to consider improving the transport system. These may be central or local government officers, politicians, local community groups or members of the general public. The WelTAG process must be applied to all transport projects funded in part or in full by the Welsh Government. Well documented and robust evidence should underlie the whole of the WelTAG process. A WelTAG appraisal should set out the whole range of foreseeable impacts of each of the proposed solutions. Collaboration and involvement are important throughout a WelTAG appraisal. During the more detailed design and assessment of shortlisted options, engagement with the public and other stakeholders will assist in gathering evidence. The WelTAG process is designed to share understanding between those involved in making the decisions and those affected by those decisions. This underlies the importance of stakeholder involvement and public engagement. WelTAG is a process that leads to the development of better solutions.. Over time, completed WelTAG reports and their supporting data will become an invaluable resource for learning about what does and doesn’t work in particular situations. “”

The statements in the document that “”Collaboration and involvement are important throughout a WelTAG appraisal. During the more detailed design and assessment of shortlisted options, engagement with the public and other stakeholders will assist in gathering evidence.””  are interesting as this approach is not being used by the Welsh Government in respect of any of the new routes currently being planned . The new T10 ,T11 and T12, which will all go through the AM constituency of Ken Skates (South Clwyd),  have been put out for tender without a published review.

Four days ago on 08/08/2018 Liz Saville-Roberts MP received a letter regarding the TrawsCymru bus services which reported that Gwynedd Council officers are now in contact with Conwy Council and the Welsh Government in relation to the provision of a TrawsCymru service which would run from Llandudno to Dolgellau and through Blaenau Ffestiniog..   Llandudno is the home of the Trawscymru Network Manager..

It is clearly of concern that all these new Trawscymru routes are being developed in North Wales without any scrutiny/reviews,  whilst the review of the Aberystwyth to Wrexham route has been commissioned twice (in 2013 by the Transport Minister Edwina Hart and in 2017 by the Transport Minister Ken Skates) and has never been carried out.

I would hope that as AM for Ceredigion and Llwydd of the Welsh Assembly you will hold the Welsh Government to account and ask why all these new Trawscymru routes in North Wales to benefit passengers in the local areas of the Transport Minister and the Trawscymru Network Manager are being developed with no public scrutiny/no published reviews while the review of the Aberystwyth to Wrexham route has been commissioned twice in 2013 and in 2017 and has never been carried out.

Question (c)  When will the Welsh Government Transport Strategy key action to improve reliability and journey times on the T2/T1 Bangor/Carmarthen route through Aberystwyth be acted upon ?

Comment (c) There is no comment on this in the reply from Ken Skates .

There is no connectivity between T1 and T2 services going North in Aberystwyth. There is limited connectivity going South with 3 services connecting in Aberystwyth but with only 5 minutes of connectivity.   All Trawscymru T2/T3 services in Dolgellau have 10 minutes of connectivity (arrival to departure time) and a further 5 minutes (delayed departures under a Quality Partnership agreement) making a total of 15 minutes connectivity in all .  In contrast in Aberystwyth only 3 services connect going South with 5 minutes connectivity and this connectivity is completely wiped out when a 5 minute delayed departure is employed for the T2 Bangor to Aberystwyth service in Dolgellau.  There is also no Quality Partnership Agreement in Aberystwyth for T1 services departing to Carmarthen to wait for late T2 services arriving from Dolgellau /Bangor.

The root cause of the lack of connectivity between T2 and T1 services in Aberystwyth is the 15 minute delays to the T2 in Dolgellau to wait for late T3 services from Wrexham,  which are carrying a very small number of Ken Skates constituents from South Clwyd. The 15 minute delays to the T2 on the strategic North South route are  being employed for the benefit of a non strategic T3 Wrexham to Barmouth route which the Bevan Foundation Review of 2013 recommended should be abandoned in favour of a T3 Wrexham to Aberystwyth route.  Removing the 15 minute delays to the T2 in Dolgellau would restore connectivity between T2/T1 services in Aberystwyth.  However this could  also be done without losing the T3 Wrexham to Barmouth service. The T3 between Llangollen and Wrexham goes on a route which is also covered by a local bus service which runs every 30 minutes. The T3 could change to a direct route between Llangollen and Wrexham and the 15 minute delays to the T2 in Dolgellau would then be unnecessary and connectivity between T2 and T1 services in Aberystwyth could be restored.

The T3 service from Wrexham can be (and frequently is ) 15 minutes (and more ) late in reaching Dolgellau which means connectivity is highly likely to be lost between the T2 and the T1 in Aberystwyth.  It is a frequent occurrence that T2 services from the North approach the roundabout by Aberystwyth bus station and the T1 service to Carmarthen sets off to negotiate the same roundabout with a clear view of the oncoming T2.  I have even seen desperate passengers scrambling off the T2 dragging their luggage into the road to stop the departing T1 to Carmarthen.  This is true of all Trawscymru T1/T2 and T5 services in Aberystwyth as delayed departures under a Quality Partnership agreement are not employed in Aberystwyth as they are in Dolgellau .

The Welsh Government have also introduced a T1C coach service from Aberystwyth to Cardiff which departs at 9.30am and therefore does not have a connection with the T2 arriving in Aberystwyth from Dolgellau at 9.30am. Passengers from North of Aberystwyth will have difficulty in using the T1C Cardiff service when a simple timetable change, (an earlier departure in Dolgellau),  would solve the problem. The Welsh Government obviously have no concept that connectivity between Trawscymru services in Aberystwyth is necessary.

The Welsh Government have also refused to release Trawscymru Performance Monitoring information on Trawscymru arrivals into Aberystwyth and have misled the Information Commissioner by saying they do not hold the information.  The reason they are refusing to release performance monitoring information on Trawscymru arrivals is because the facts will speak for themselves.  There is only limited and very unreliable connectivity on the strategic T2/T1 North-South route between Bangor and Carmarthen.   Regular passengers wishing to travel daily through Aberystwyth on the T2/T1 route have no choice but to use their car if they have one.

Connectivity of Trawscymru services in Aberystwyth is a joke. There are 3 connecting services going South which are completely unreliable and frequently do not connect . The last T2/T1 connection of the day at 18.40 has been completely ruined rather than improved . This particular T2 18.40 arrival has been deliberately ruined by the Trawscymru Network Manager inserting 10 minutes of completely unnecessary delays close to Aberystwyth so that the T2 arrives at 18.50 and therefore cannot possibly connect with the T1 departure to Carmarthen at 18.40 . There is also no Quality Partnership Agreements  in place for Trawscymru services entering and leaving Aberystwyth to delay departures by 5 minutes to wait  for late arrivals as employed for T2/T3 services in Dolgellau.. The Trawscymru Network Manager has even reversed an improvement made by the previous Transport Minister Edwina Hart, who in May 2016 following complaints of poor connectivity changed the T2 departure in Aberystwyth from 10.00am to 10.05am.  The Trawscymru Network Manager, under the wing of Ken Skates, has simply changed the departure time back to 10.00am

I do not expect you to take an interest in the matter of connectivity of Trawscymru services in Aberystwyth as you have not taken any interest over the past 2 years but if you did ask the above question of Ken Skates on my behalf I would expect you to ask him why he has not provided an answer.

Question (d) When will the Welsh Government reverse the changes of 01/01/2018 to the T2 timetable in Aberystwyth,  which did nothing other than deliberately destroy connectivity in Aberystwyth ?  (The T2 Aberystwyth departure changed from 10.05 to 10.00 am reversing a 2016 decision by the previous Transport Minister, Edwina Hart, and the T2 arrival at 18.40 changed to 18.50 making it impossible to connect with the last T1 to Carmarthen departing at 18.40) .

Comment (d) There is no comment on this in the reply from Ken Skates . There is also a very worrying misleading and very incorrect statement in the reply from Ken Skates relating to the above. The statement has been provided to Ken Skates by the Trawscymru Network Manager.   That statement is that “”we had to retime the arrivals and departures of most T2 journeys at Aberystwyth in response to a programme of roadworks between Machynleth and Dolgellau””.  I have placed a detailed complaint with Ken Skates (on 12/08/2018)  regarding this statement and the behaviour of the Trawscymru Network Manager and the Director for Economy and Infrastructure.  I have provided you seperately with a copy of that complaint.

Making incorrect statements is against the Civil Service Code of Practice.   I would therefore hope that as AM for Ceredigion and Llwydd of the Welsh Assembly you will hold the Welsh Government to account and ask what investigations will take place regarding the misleading and incorrect statement in the reply from Ken Skates .

Yours Sincerely ,

Dr John McTighe

Addendum 1

Trawscymru T10/T11/T12 bus routes in North East Wales not publicised or subject to consultation before being put out to tender

24/06/2018 – 15:40

Dear Ben Lake/Ellin Jones,

I have just been made aware of the following new Trawscymru routes that have been put out for tender .

Trawscymru Service T10: Bangor – Betws y Coed – Corwen – Chirk – Oswestry

Trawscymru Service T11: Machynlleth – Newtown – Welshpool – Wrexham

Trawscymru Service T12: Machynlleth – Newtown – Montgomery – Welshpool – Wrexham.

It therefore appears that the Welsh Government have jumped the gun and ignored the Ken Skates statement on 23/01/2018 in the Welsh Assembly Plenary  “”It is my intention, Deputy Presiding Officer, to subject some of the emerging proposals and choices to a public consultation in the second half of this year. We are determined that, in the future, schemes coming forward will be robust, deliverable and based on a sound strategic imperative and economic analysis.””

Could you please therefore ask the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport  the following questions on my behalf as a Ceredigion resident.

(a) When will the review of the Aberystwyth to Wrexham Trawscymru route, which was recommended by the Winckler report and which was finally commissioned on 14/11/2017 (see attached letter) by the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport (Ken Skates), be completed , reported on and available for public examination?

(b)  When will the Feasibilty Study/Review/Business Case, ( ie the justification document for the above T10/T11/T12 Trawscymru services), be reported on and available for public examination.?.

(c)  When will the Welsh Government Transport Strategy key action to improve reliability and journey times on the T2/T1 Bangor/Carmarthen route through Aberystwyth be acted upon ?

(d) When will the Welsh Government reverse the changes of 01/01/2018 to the T2 timetable in Aberystwyth,  which did nothing other than deliberately destroy connectivity in Aberystwyth ?  (The T2 Aberystwyth departure changed from 10.05 to 10.00 am reversing a 2016 decision by the previous Transport Minister, Edwina Hart, and the T2 arrival at 18.40 changed to 18.50 making it impossible to connect with the last T1 to Carmarthen departing at 18.40)

Yours Sincerely

John McTighe

Addendum 2

From: Hall, David (ESNR-Transport-Public Transport)
Sent: 06 July 2018 15:22
To: ‘john.mct@
Subject: TrawsCymru

Dear Dr McTighe

The TrawsCymru Strategic Management Board has asked me to write to you on its behalf setting out members’ shared position on a range of TrawsCymru issues you have raised recently, including with Professor Stuart Cole and Barclay Davies. This response represents the joint position of all members of the Board which is made up of representatives of the Welsh Government, local authorities, bus operators, Bus Users Cymru and Traveline Cymru.

The Board has asked me to thank you for the comments and suggestions you have made about the TrawsCymru network.

Whilst we endeavour to provide good connections between TrawsCymru buses and trains at key hubs, given the nature of the extensive network we are unable to provide connections between all services at all times of the day. Sometimes the Board needs to prioritise certain connections over others, and we work closely with local authorities to identify these priorities. Aberystwyth is a key hub for TrawsCymru, and we have ensured that there is an extensive range of possible connections between TrawsCymru buses and trains throughout the day at this location. In January 2018 we introduced additional T2 journeys between Bangor and Aberystwyth (weekdays and Saturdays) to provide more choice to passengers wishing to connect with the T1 and T5 south of Aberystwyth, but also had to retime the arrivals and departures of most T2 journeys at Aberystwyth in response to additional running time needed for the T2 as a result of the start of a major programme of road works between Machynlleth and Dolgellau. We will look to revise the T2 timetable again once these works have been completed early in 2019. The Board has asked me to use this opportunity to see if better connections between the T2 and T1 and T5 services can be provided at Aberystwyth, and your comments will be considered as part of this work.

Earlier this year Professor Cole was asked by the Welsh Government to carry out a ‘High Level’ strategic review of the TrawsCymru T3 service which links Wrexham to Barmouth. Professor Cole has now completed his review and has submitted his findings. A copy is attached for your information. Having considered the evidence, he has not recommended that the route of the T3 service be changed to serve Aberystwyth rather than Barmouth, and the Board has accepted that recommendation.

We continue to work closely with local authorities across Wales to explore opportunities to introduce new TrawsCymru routes or enhanced services on existing routes where there are clear, strategic benefits. Recently we have been working with local authorities in north Wales to examine the feasibility of introducing a new TrawsCymru service along the A5 corridor linking Bangor to Chirk/Oswestry. Preparatory work was undertaken to evaluate this proposal, but as this service is currently out to tender it would be inappropriate for us at this stage to release this work. Powys County Council is also progressing proposals to further improve north to south TrawsCymru services across the eastern side of Wales. Powys County Council undertook a significant amount of preparatory work in advance of this tender. However, again as this tendering exercise is still live it would be inappropriate for us to release this information at this stage.

Finally, the Board has asked me to offer to meet you to discuss your concerns. However, given that you have previously declined such an offer, Professor Cole has himself offered to represent the TrawsCymru Board if that would be more acceptable to you.

Many Thanks

David Hall

 

29/06/2018 – 09:41

Dear Elin Jones,

Could you please provide me with a copy of the letter written to the Cabinet Secretary for the Economy and Transport on my behalf and provide me with a copy of the Ministers reply once it is received.  Thank you in anticipation..

Regards

John McTighe

15/07/2018 – 11:20

Dear Elin Jones,

Two weeks ago I asked for a copy of your letter.  Could you please provide me with a copy of the letter written to the Cabinet Secretary for the Economy and Transport on my behalf and provide me with a copy of the Ministers reply once it is received.  Thank you in anticipation..

Regards

John McTighe

Cambrian News 08/08/2018

LIZ Saville-Roberts MP has received a letter regarding the Traws Cymru bus services which reported that Gwynedd Council officers are now in contact with Conwy Council and the Welsh Government in relation to the provision of the Traws Cymru service which would run from Llandudno to Dolgellau and through Blaenau Ffestiniog.

—-Original message—-
From : Meirian.Morgan@
Date : 03/08/2018 – 11:21 (GMTST)
To : john.mct@
Subject : FW: Ateb gan y Gweinidog i’ch llythyr KS/01983/18/Please see attached response from the Minister our reference KS/01983/18

Dear Dr McTighe,

I sent you this response from Ken Skates, when it arrived in our office, but received a bounce back message.

I am unsure why this happened, please accept my apologies for the delay in sending you this letter, and let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Meirian

 

Meirian Morgan

Swyddfa Elin Jones Office

Aelod Cynulliad Ceredigion Assembly Member

01970 624516

Meirian.Morgan@

32 Heol y Wîg / Pier Street, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 2LN

Elin.Jones@

@ElinCeredigion

Suggested Action Plan

Professor Stuart Cole Short Term – next 12 months 

Reinstate evening journeys into Ruabon Station; 

• Develop and implement joint ticketing and promotional package with tourism providers in the Dee Corridor; 
• Introduce a multi journey ticket for regular passengers (T3, T2, Lloyds local // TC North Ticket add on// TC network day ticket add on)  Ensure all bus stops on the T3 corridor have correct information; 
• Introduce front window panel on vehicles not in TC livery; 
• Ensure all timetables have TrawsCymru brand in place / alongside county brand;
• Provide better marketing of T3 service at Wrexham Bus Station;
• and Strengthen short workings between Barmouth and Dolgellau; 
• Ensure connections are maximised between the T3 and the planned T10 services; and
• Ensure Lloyds X27 and X28 services are more closely integrated with the T2 and T3 services to further maximise connection opportunities at Dolgellau.

Medium term – between 12 and 24 months 

• Discuss better bus rail interchange arrangements with new rail franchise operator at Ruabon and Barmouth stations; 
• Further improve bus stop infrastructure along route and align with Visit Wales ‘Wales Way’ Initiative; 
• Commission a more in depth study into interchange requirements along the corridor between T3 and T2, local services, and rail services at Ruabon Wrecsam. Also interchange to / from T2 and T1 / T5 network links; 
• Work with Gwynedd Council to bring forward a detailed proposal to improve interchange facilities at Dolgellau; 
• Further strengthen joint tourism marketing promotions on the corridor. This could include joint ticketing with e.g. heritage railways, Pontcysyllte viaduct and discount entry for other tourist attractions; 
• Work up a detailed feasibility study to examine the operational costs and benefits of introducing additional fast workings avoiding the villages between Bala and Corwen; 
• Identify through passenger survey the minimum connection times at Dolgellau, Ruabon, Wrecsam (bus and rail), and Aberystwyth to determine priority interchange.

Longer Term – Over 24 months up to retendering in 2022 

• Examine feasibility of introducing a new Bwcabus service to serve villages in the Dee Valley more effectively; 
• Examine feasibility of separate school services (where students currently use T3);
• Subject to the viability of the suggested additional fast bus workings between Bala and Corwen consider the introduction of longer distance coaches on these journeys linking Barmouth to Wrexham interworking with low floor buses on the slower conventional route through the villages; 
• Introduce a simplified fare structure for TrawsCymru services; 
• Extend the route of the T3 service to terminate at Wrexham General Station – dependent upon bus turning circle improvements; 
• Consider the feasibility of operating specialist Bike Buses as part of the service on weekends and summer holidays. This would support the Active Travel agenda and could utilise cascaded vehicles off the existing T4 and T9 contracts which both come to an end within the next 12 months.