I wonder if (as long as the connections were good) it would be faster to travel to Aberystwyth via Carmarthen from not only stations in West and South Wales, but also stations in SW England from Bristol Temple Meads and beyond. Having studied in Aberystwyth, I know people personally who used the bus from Aber to Carmarthen, with onward rail towards Bristol, Wiltshire and Somerset. I never did as I was put off by the hassle of trying to store luggage on a bus.
Actually it will only be S Wales that is closer time wise to Aberystwyth.
The Trawslink Campaigners want a 90 minute journey time between Aberystwyth and Carmarthen at the moment Carmarthen to Cardiff is typically 1 hr 50 minutes. The journey time via Shrewsbury from Cardiff is 4 hours.
Once you get to Newport its even Stevens both ways.
Yes, but their website used to say they also wanted Cardiff-Carmarthen to come down to 90 minutes (with only two stops, it could already be done in 85, perhaps even 83, by my reckoning). That would bring Aberystwyth-Cardiff down to 3 hours or less. I think it's a real shame that TrawsLinkCymru's campaigning has focused on Carmarthen-Aberystwyth first, rather than starting on the Carmarthen-Cardiff journey time first which would be the cheapest part of their original proposal to implement and would benifit more pepole and strengthen the case for Carmarthen-Aberystwyth as a later phase.
Isn't transport devolved?
Roads and buses are, I think, but rail infrustructure spending is not (although WAG are allowed to spend on rail, it is officially still the UK government's responsibility and no provision for rail infrustructre is included in the WAG's block grant I believe). Responsiblity for letting the W&B rail franchise is currently in the process of being devolved, but this does not include control of Network Rail (the High Level Output Specification (HLOS) for England and Wales will still be the UK government's responsibility).
Whatever you view on the AYW to CMN reopening it wont have the negative impact on the environment, health and road congestion that the M4 Relief Road will nor the same opportunity cost.
However in my opinion the South Wales Metro should be the priority transport project per se in Wales as if done properly it will deliver a step change in provision for the million or so people that live in the Cardiff City Region
I agree with this, but don't call it 'the South Wales Metro'. Currently, it is just a Cardiff+Newport metro; extend it to Swansea and it'd be a South East Wales metro but a South Wales metro makes no sense (because that would include rural south-west Wales).
What needs to be done is to get the railways electrified - preferably using modern stock.
Agreed.
The M4 is for killing everybody and everything.
Fixed that for you. We've known about climate change for years yet still we have counter-productive policies like a second M4 around Newport that would increase greenhouse gas emmissions. It is time to put an end to the car culture.
We need to be linking up the neglected west of Wales, with railways
As far as south-west Wales is concerned, the first thing is to get a better service on the lines we have already, with limited track improvements:
- A loop between Tenby and Whitland to allow trains every half hour between Swansea and Carmarthen (serving Ferryside and Kidwelly hourly), with 0.5tph (trains per hour) extended to each of the three Pembrokeshire branches.
- Linespeed improvement between Ferryside and Carmarthen to reduce journey times and the spacing between trains (it's absolute block) to allow an hourly Cardiff-Carmarthen express (2 stops, 85mins or less) to run close behind (or just ahead of) the Swansea-Milford/Fishguard service. The express would continue to Milford Haven (calling at Whitland, Haverfordwest and Johnston only) in the hours the Swansea service does Fishguard, providing a roughly hourly Milford Haven service.
- Put on a bus every two hours from Carmarthen to Aberystwyth, which takes a reasonably direct route (serving either Lampeter or Pencader, not both as the current TrawsCymru bus does) and connects with the Cardiff express and Carmarthen
Sort that lot out before spending money on new track in the south-west of Wales I think; but safeguard a suitable (fast) alignment between Carmarthen and Aberystwyth by all means and the same further north for Porthmadog-Caernarfon (a fast Caernarfon - Bangor rail link should be built now).
Likewise the reopening of the Aber Carmarthen route is a fantasy. A 90 minute journey target I suspect would be impossible and there is not the population or passenger requirement for it.
90 minutes is not fast enough, and if a simple reopening is intended I too doubt you'd get the journey down to 90mins. 90 minutes (or faster) might be possible if the route is straightened out in places, but that would cost big-time.
