Three extra trains to run between Bristol and Cardiff on Sundays

[whole diary]

[chrisr_75]

Not sure if this belongs here or in a Bristol thread, but from the bbc:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-30484014

Three additional Sunday train services are to run between Bristol Temple Meads and Cardiff Central.

Leaving from Bristol, the services will call at Filton Abbey Wood, Severn Tunnel Junction, Newport and Cardiff.

The three services will depart at 08:48 GMT, 10:48 GMT and 12:48 GMT from 21 December.

First Great Western's Mark Youngman said the train operator was "delighted" to offer the extra services in response to passenger needs.

Chair of the Severn Tunnel Action Group David Flint stated that passenger numbers had risen by over 5% in Cardiff.

He added: "This is great news for passengers and will allow those working in Cardiff on a Sunday morning even more opportunity to catch the train."

[John R]

So thickening up the service to hourly, like the rest of the day. Makes sense...

One thing that puzzles me is that ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former Train Operating Company)) have made no move to improve the provision of Sunday services on the Valley Lines, with the same 1 train every 2 hours up each valley for many years now. As I understand it, Sunday traffic growth has been very buoyant in most places around the country, so I'm not sure why some improvement could not be justified. Maybe it's down to local working agreements, that make it too costly to vary the existing rosters?

[phile]

Because somebody has to fund it.    ATW^▸ (Arriva Trains Wales (former Train Operating Company)) will only do anything if somebody else (Welsh Government, Council etc) pays for it.

[grahame]

if somebody else ... pays for it.

Passengers, perhaps?

[chrisr_75]

If what was implied in the press recently about the possibility of a not for profit company running the Wales & Borders franchise on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government at some point in the future, then perhaps the cash left over from not having to pay a shareholder dividend might very well go some way to funding additional services.

Also, I suspect rolling stock availability is probably an issue currently. A reduced service on Sundays probably offers a fairly vital window for maintenance I suspect?

[phile]

The additional Bristol TM^▸ (Train Manager, or Ticket Machine, or Temple Meads (Bristol), depending on context) to Cardiff trains on Sunday mornings do not incur any extra costs no matter what spin comes out.    The units previously ran from Bristol (SPM^▸ (St Philip's Marsh (Bristol depot)) Depot) to Cardiff anyway to work trains to Portsmouth/Brighton which start before the first trains of the day have come onto to the radar to work back

[phile]

If what was implied in the press recently about the possibility of a not for profit company running the Wales & Borders franchise on behalf of the Welsh Assembly Government at some point in the future, then perhaps the cash left over from not having to pay a shareholder dividend might very well go some way to funding additional services.

Also, I suspect rolling stock availability is probably an issue currently. A reduced service on Sundays probably offers a fairly vital window for maintenance I suspect?

No problem with availability of Units.   Just lack of will and money.

[Network SouthEast]

I wonder if the problem with Sunday traffic levels is that the tickets are all low value. Is it in the interest of an operator to have a weekday level of service, but without a weekday level of revenue?  

I suspect Saturdays work for TOCs^▸ (Train Operating Company) because there is a steady and reasonable flow of passengers throughout the day and evening.

[Timmer]

The additional Bristol TM^▸ (Train Manager, or Ticket Machine, or Temple Meads (Bristol), depending on context) to Cardiff trains on Sunday mornings do not incur any extra costs no matter what spin comes out.    The units previously ran from Bristol (SPM^▸ (St Philip's Marsh (Bristol depot)) Depot) to Cardiff anyway to work trains to Portsmouth/Brighton which start before the first trains of the day have come onto to the radar to work back

I'm amazed it's taken this long to utilise these empty stock movements into making them passenger trains. Every two hours service between Bristol and Cardiff in this day and age was plain crazy.

[John R]

I wonder if the problem with Sunday traffic levels is that the tickets are all low value. Is it in the interest of an operator to have a weekday level of service, but without a weekday level of revenue?  
 

I'm not suggesting an equivalent level. But to take the Rhymney Valley line as an example, there are 4 tph^▸ (trains per hour) south of Bargoed during the week, and 1 every 2 hours on Sunday. So 1/8th of the weekday service, which is quite a disparity.