Petition for better services at Kidwelly

[whole diary]

[grahame]

From the Llanelli Star

Petition launched demanding better rail services at Kidwelly Train Station

Launched by town councillor Phil Thompson, the petition calls for three specific areas to be addressed ^ making the town a regular timetable stop and not a request stop, making the trains wheelchair accessible to and from the platforms, and increasing the frequency of trains stopping in the town.

Mr Thompson told the Star: "I hope to use my position as a local councillor coupled with the power of community opinion to try and apply pressure to get the improvements we need.

"The train stops would be relatively easy and have no major impact on the timetables, but would have a major impact on tourism, economy and regeneration in the town.

[continues]

At present, 33 trains call at Kidwelly each day - one GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) and 32 Arriva Trains Wales, and passenger numbers last year were 31,040 - that's an average of just 3 people getting on or off each train. Kidwelly has a population of 3,500, so on average residents make 9 train journey each per year.

[Rhydgaled]

Had a look at next Wednesday on FirstGWR's journey planner; the 33 services (15 in one direction, 18 in the other) seem to be distributed so that there is an hourly (or better) service in the peaks falling to two-hourly in the middle of the day. I don't think I've ever caught a train to or from the station myself, but travel through most times I use the train. I would like to see at least a half-hourly service on the line, and once we have that I'd be happy for Kidwelly and Ferryside to loose their request status and be boosted to hourly calls all day.