Transport for Wales: More cash for rail operator as ticket sales fall

[whole diary]

[grahame]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

Taxpayer funding for rail operator Transport for Wales (TfW) is increasing by around half as ticket sales decline.

Home working means fewer passenger are commuting to work on the trains, leaving a hole in TfW's budget.

On Tuesday, the Welsh government announced £125m more for TfW this year, a "massive" rise, according to one finance expert.

Finance Minister Rebecca Evans has said she expects "pressure on rail" budgets to "continue for some time".

The Welsh Conservatives said they were "surprised" and "shocked" by the cash injection.

[Mark A]

Hmm, journalists, wonder if anything else has been going on with TfW that could cause a dip in passenger numbers.

Mark

[grahame]

BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) Wales again

Train services and jobs would have been lost without extra Welsh government funding, the chief executive of Transport for Wales (TfW) has said.

On Tuesday, the finance minister announced cuts for most government departments. But TfW was given an extra £125m.

[welshman]

I suspect the Valley Lines closures for electrification may also have had an impact on numbers.  For example, Treherbert to Pontypridd is closed from 24/04/23 until Feb 2024 for re-signalling, re-railing, extra passing loop, and OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE").  While there's a rail replacement bus, many will have reverted to car or used the "ordinary" bus.

[WelshBluebird]

I suspect the Valley Lines closures for electrification may also have had an impact on numbers.  For example, Treherbert to Pontypridd is closed from 24/04/23 until Feb 2024 for re-signalling, re-railing, extra passing loop, and OLE^▸ (Overhead Line Equipment, more often "OHLE").  While there's a rail replacement bus, many will have reverted to car or used the "ordinary" bus.

And even for those using the replacement bus, I'd hazard a guess a significant number of those journeys are being done without tickets given the bus drivers have nothing to do with ticketing and there's no staff checking tickets.