Memories of there being direct Bristol - west Wales services in the 1990s

[BenBracken]

Moderator note: Split from

https://www.railforums.co.uk/threads/gwr-accused-of-disrupting-wales-england-train-links-by-government.302957/x

As a west Wales resident I’m delighted we will get a direct service to an airport (via the bus connection). I’ve always been slightly envious that every community along the Cambrian with a station, no matter how small, gets a direct service to a large airport and those on the west Wales lines didn’t! I’m curious as to what the fare difference may be, GWR always seem to charge a premium to use their trains (even though the IETs seats and levels of overcrowding on some services mean a worse experience than TfW) or that TfW do better fare deals, so I would wonder if Cardiff - Bristol would be cheaper on TfW.

I do have a memory of there being direct Bristol - west Wales services in the '90s, I’m sure I stood at Temple Meads and got a direct train to Tenby.

 

[The exile]

I do have a memory of there being direct Bristol - west Wales services in the 90’s, I’m sure I stood at Temple Meads and got a direct train to Tenby.

In Wessex days (and before) there certainly was more linking of services across Cardiff - although I suspect in lots of cases for operational reasons more than anything else. Wasn’t there briefly a Maesteg to Gunnislake or similar?

 

[Jez]

As a west Wales resident I’m delighted we will get a direct service to an airport (via the bus connection). I’ve always been slightly envious that every community along the Cambrian with a station, no matter how small, gets a direct service to a large airport and those on the west Wales lines didn’t! I’m curious as to what the fare difference may be, GWR always seem to charge a premium to use their trains (even though the IETs seats and levels of overcrowding on some services mean a worse experience than TfW) or that TfW do better fare deals, so I would wonder if Cardiff - Bristol would be cheaper on TfW. I do have a memory of there being direct Bristol - west Wales services in the 90’s, I’m sure I stood at Temple Meads and got a direct train to Tenby.

Until Dec 2005 there were some direct service from West Wales to Bristol TM and beyond. One even went to Penzance

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 23 Jul 2026 ==

In Wessex days (and before) there certainly was more linking of services across Cardiff - although I suspect in lots of cases for operational reasons more than anything else. Wasn’t there briefly a Maesteg to Gunnislake or similar?

Wessex Trains never went any further West of Cardiff though. In the days of Wales and West there were direct services from West Wales to the likes of Portsmouth and Penzance however when it later became and all Wales franchise and a seperate franchise for the South and South West (ATW and Wessex Trains) ATW kept on some Bristol services for a while until Dec 05. I guess they stopped them as Wessex were pretty much covering the services needed, it was only because they ran through from West Wales they potentially kept them going a while. In Dec 05 they introduced an hourly West Wales to Manchester when previously it was less often they were direct (likely due to half the services from the west going to Bristol and beyond)

So in a way its going to go full circle to how it was before Dec 2005 and have one service every 2 hours to Manchester and 1 service every two hours to Bristol.

 

[Taunton]

I do have a memory of there being direct Bristol - west Wales services in the 90’s, I’m sure I stood at Temple Meads and got a direct train to Tenby.

Back in BR days there were a range of through services, although as much for scheduling convenience, the pool of Class 120 Cross-Country dmus was common across these services. A number from Bristol seemed to go to Carmarthen, and as described some were through to Pembroke or Milford Haven. The through trains were much improved on previous loco-hauled operations, where needing to reverse at both Swansea and Carmarthen had been a disincentive. Avoiding reversal had been such an issue that the Cardiff to Portsmouth service stopped in Bristol at obscure suburban Stapleton Road, and avoided Temple Meads.

 

[The exile]

Wessex Trains never went any further West of Cardiff though. In the days of Wales and West there were direct services from West Wales to the likes of Portsmouth and Penzance

Thought I might have got the wrong name. Wasn’t in the area much at the time.

 

[Envoy]

As a west Wales resident I’m delighted we will get a direct service to an airport (via the bus connection). I’ve always been slightly envious that every community along the Cambrian with a station, no matter how small, gets a direct service to a large airport and those on the west Wales lines didn’t! I’m curious as to what the fare difference may be, GWR always seem to charge a premium to use their trains (even though the IETs seats and levels of overcrowding on some services mean a worse experience than TfW) or that TfW do better fare deals, so I would wonder if Cardiff - Bristol would be cheaper on TfW. I do have a memory of there being direct Bristol - west Wales services in the 90’s, I’m sure I stood at Temple Meads and got a direct train to Tenby.

It will still be quicker for you to reach Cardiff airport rather than Bristol by changing trains at Bridgend for Rhoose - where a bus takes just a few minutes to transfer you the 2 miles to the airport terminal. Fortunately, Cardiff airport seems to now be gaining increased flights including Toronto on 4 days per week. It regrettable that the likes of Easyjet and Jet2 do not serve Cardiff airport but TUI and Ryan Air have been increasing their services.

Unfortunately, TFW continue to drag their feet in increasing the service on the VOG Coast line from 1 train (old 150 sprinter) per hour to half hourly - even less on Sundays.

A west Wales to Bristol ‘197’ service would be most welcome - especially as GWR use old trains often without air con on the Cardiff to Bristol TM leg unless it it a IET going to the south-west as an all stops service.

 

[aar0]

As a west Wales resident I’m delighted we will get a direct service to an airport (via the bus connection).

Try the Flix Bus from Swansea. No changes and outside of peak times faster than the train-train-bus, and much cheaper. Times don’t always fit though.

 

[John R]

Back in BR days there were a range of through services, although as much for scheduling convenience, the pool of Class 120 Cross-Country dmus was common across these services. A number from Bristol seemed to go to Carmarthen, and as described some were through to Pembroke or Milford Haven. The through trains were much improved on previous loco-hauled operations, where needing to reverse at both Swansea and Carmarthen had been a disincentive. Avoiding reversal had been such an issue that the Cardiff to Portsmouth service stopped in Bristol at obscure suburban Stapleton Road, and avoided Temple Meads.

Really? I was a regular user from 1980 to 1983 between Cardiff and Southampton (home and uni) and don’t recall any services avoiding Temple Meads.

 

[The exile]

Really? I was a regular user from 1980 to 1983 between Cardiff and Southampton (home and uni) and don’t recall any services avoiding Temple Meads.

Think we’re going back to steam days (where of course a “simple” run round wasn’t simple!). There was a Saturday relief pair one year (about 1990?) which did the Rhubarb Curve (Swansea to Weymouth via Southampton, IIRC) but the regular service did some very slick run-rounds in Tempke Meads.

 

[Krokodil]

Think we’re going back to steam days (where of course a “simple” run round wasn’t simple!).

Or possibly class 33 days.

 

[John R]

Or possibly class 33 days.

No - Class 33 days is the era I cited, and I don't think there were any regular services that avoided Temple Meads then.

 

[Annetts key]

I don't have any data to back this up for the Cardiff to Portsmouth service specificity, but in the late 1980s, there were still many "light loco" movements between Bristol T.M. West junction and Bristol T.M. East junction.

I was often working in the area, so was not taking any notice why the movements were taking p!ace, but rather making sure neither myself or any other team member were on the track when trains approached.

The layout of the Bristol Temple Meads station area and nearby junctions was specificity intended to make loco run arounds easy.

 

[Bishopstone]

In 1995 - probably the summer timetable, as I’d just finished at university - the first train of the day from Exmouth ran through to Milford Haven. It was a 158, and I set a very early alarm to use it end-to-end, just for novelty value.

 

[Geoff DC]

There was also the Alphaline service from Penzance to Fishguard - that ran well into the 1990s, I think it finished early 2000's

 

[DaventryRabbit]

Am sure that, in at least March 2002, there was a Taunton to Haverfordwest service. Can't remember qhat day of week or when though

 

[RPI]

Until around 2005 there was an 06:54 Penzance to Manchester Piccadilly (Sometimes Crewe) and Milford Haven, it split at Bristol, there was also a Manchester Piccadilly/Milford Haven to Penzance but this joined at Newport, the Manchester bound working running via the Maindee loop.

On Saturdays this worked to and from Manchester/Pembroke Dock.

There was for a brief period a Newquay to Swansea (may have been Carmarthen)(14:50 from Newquay), this was a 153! Not sure if it coupled to anything else en route.

There was an afternoon Penzance to Swansea.

 

[robert thomas]

Until around 2005 there was an 06:54 Penzance to Manchester Piccadilly (Sometimes Crewe) and Milford Haven, it split at Bristol, there was also a Manchester Piccadilly/Milford Haven to Penzance but this joined at Newport, the Manchester bound working running via the Maindee loop.

On Saturdays this worked to and from Manchester/Pembroke Dock.

There was for a brief period a Newquay to Swansea (may have been Carmarthen)(14:50 from Newquay), this was a 153! Not sure if it coupled to anything else en route.

There was an afternoon Penzance to Swansea.

Also a 09.00 Brighton-Milford Haven and at one time a Waterloo-Maesteg(via Salisbury)which looked very odd on the departure board at Waterloo

 

[Rivercider]

In the Alphaline or Wales and West era I think there was an early morning Exmouth to Haverfordwest or Milford Haven service for a while,

cheers