Saturday
07
June
Rail firm denies "unsafe" journey claims
26/10/2023 @ 01:44
Claims that trains travelling to and from Newtown are overcrowded and "unsafe" have bene denied by rail operator Transport for Wales.
The North and Mid Wales Association of Local Councils published a survey on rail services in the regions on the state of the local train network.
Its report has been submitted to Welsh Government, Transport for Wales (TFW) and the Health & Safety Executive with concerns that the new trains, set to be introduced locally in the coming year or two, will worsen the situation.
“The reason for the survey was a deep concern regarding overcrowding, particularly on
long journeys,” said Cllr Captain Ian Hodge, Chair of the Association. “The new trains have less seats than the current ones in use and are of ‘commuter train’ design. In the view of the Association these trains are not for long distance journeys.”
“It is the view of the Association that the new trains do not meet what is needed and indeed are now of the view that overcrowding is so bad it is unsafe, bordering on dangerous.”
The Association said it will be seeking meetings with Welsh Government and TFW to seek a way forward.
The Association Chair stated that they arrived at their opinion due to the following:
- People with disabilities cannot get to the toilets.
- People who go ill will have no space to recover.
- The guard cannot get to any person who is distressed or unwell needing help.
- If the train pulls up sharply or hits something, the injury level would be “unacceptable”
However, TfW has responded to the report. It said: “We are pleased to see overall customer satisfaction of services on the routes surveyed was generally positive and we are already addressing some of the concerns raised by the group.
“TfW is transforming the Wales and Borders network and investing more than £800m into brand new trains which have started to be introduced to our network.
“On the Cambrian line, our brand-new CAF Class 197 trains will enable us to increase capacity by running more frequent trains from 2025. In the meantime, we’re working with Network Rail as part of our innovative 'Local Railway' partnership to speed up improvements on the route, which included the use of four-carriage trains on the Cambrian Line this summer for the first time in six years.
“The new trains will have more bike spaces, allow easier access to/from the train and provide an overall improvement to the customer experience. In response to customer feedback about our current fleet, we’ve ensured the Class 197 units feature a much more modern and reliable air conditioning system.
“These new trains need to work with the special signalling system on the Cambrian and therefore we need to carry out a gradual swap over of the trains on this route. The pandemic has had an impact on our original timescales, but we’re progressing at pace.”
The North and Mid Wales Association of Local Councils published a survey on rail services in the regions on the state of the local train network.Its report has been submitted to Welsh Government, Transport for Wales (TFW) and the Health & Safety Executive with concerns that the new trains, set to be introduced locally in the coming year or two, will worsen the situation.
“The reason for the survey was a deep concern regarding overcrowding, particularly on
long journeys,” said Cllr Captain Ian Hodge, Chair of the Association. “The new trains have less seats than the current ones in use and are of ‘commuter train’ design. In the view of the Association these trains are not for long distance journeys.”
“It is the view of the Association that the new trains do not meet what is needed and indeed are now of the view that overcrowding is so bad it is unsafe, bordering on dangerous.”
The Association said it will be seeking meetings with Welsh Government and TFW to seek a way forward.
The Association Chair stated that they arrived at their opinion due to the following:
- People with disabilities cannot get to the toilets.
- People who go ill will have no space to recover.
- The guard cannot get to any person who is distressed or unwell needing help.
- If the train pulls up sharply or hits something, the injury level would be “unacceptable”
However, TfW has responded to the report. It said: “We are pleased to see overall customer satisfaction of services on the routes surveyed was generally positive and we are already addressing some of the concerns raised by the group.
“TfW is transforming the Wales and Borders network and investing more than £800m into brand new trains which have started to be introduced to our network.
“On the Cambrian line, our brand-new CAF Class 197 trains will enable us to increase capacity by running more frequent trains from 2025. In the meantime, we’re working with Network Rail as part of our innovative 'Local Railway' partnership to speed up improvements on the route, which included the use of four-carriage trains on the Cambrian Line this summer for the first time in six years.
“The new trains will have more bike spaces, allow easier access to/from the train and provide an overall improvement to the customer experience. In response to customer feedback about our current fleet, we’ve ensured the Class 197 units feature a much more modern and reliable air conditioning system.
“These new trains need to work with the special signalling system on the Cambrian and therefore we need to carry out a gradual swap over of the trains on this route. The pandemic has had an impact on our original timescales, but we’re progressing at pace.”
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