John Luxton
Established Member
I note the previous thread on railways returning to normal post covid is no longer open to further replies.
However, I thought I would just record my observations at FWHR and Talyllyn over past few days.
On Saturday I attended the WHR 100 Gala based at Dinas in which was a fairly normal FWHR event with rover tickets available again (unlike the previous two Bygones Weekends where trains had to be pre booked) with people jumping on and off trains and with some trains well loaded - certainly no social distancing.
On Sunday I travelled up to Blaenau on what I didn't realise was the one and only train of the day over the whole line - having booked it online.
Arriving at Porthmadog Harbour Station I noted the Covid check in gazebo in the car park at Porthmadog was still being used, yet the ticket office is open.
As for services there is a PDF timetable showing all services but it does not actually show which days the trains operate. (See https://www.festrail.co.uk/pdf/timetable_2022.pdf) and warns that not all services run on a daily basis and one should go on line to check.
On some days there is a 14:30 Portmadog to Blaenau with a 16:25 return - but apparently not on Sunday.
It was pleasing to see that some people are now boarding for intermediate journeys (several at Minffordd) we even stopped at the railway's Coed Y Bleddiau self catering cottage on the way up to Blaenau to pick up two passengers (but didn't stop on the way back) passengers also alighted at Dduallt on the way up but did not reboard on the way down. Presumably they knew it was only one train a day and were walking?
Intermediate passengers appear to be catered for in one carriage.
The rest of the train remains socially distanced.
I was in the Pullman car Gwynedd at the Blaenau end of the train and sat in a seating bay for 4. In the next bay was another chap on his own who gathering from his branded apparel was also a fellow FRS member travelling either free if a life member or at a discount if not. There was a couple in the bay behind me a family further down the car and a couple in the observation end. The car was less than 50% full.
I am not sure what the loading was like in the rest of the train - but I imagine the other carriages apart from the intermediate stop carriage were also still socially distanced with more spare space than would normally be encountered on a peak summer holiday train.
This is peak summer when FR trains would normally be full and would also be longer than that operated on Sunday which was definitely a shorter consist.
At seat refreshments have recently re started but they were only offered in the Blaenau to Porthmadog direction for some reason.
The management have defended this approach to services by suggesting it makes it easier to manage costs and tailor services to demand. But how can running half empty, shorter trains be more cost effective and than a full length train which a much higher density passenger loading?
Yesterday I went down to Tywyn for the Talyllyn railway. The only vestiges of the Covid era was the opportunity to book a complete compartment for exclusive use. On the train I travelled in only two families appeared to have booked compartments and with children in tow I can see the logic of this for keeping families together on a busy train. Some carriages still retained the plastic covid screens.
Otherwise everything else was as normal as it was when I travelled in February 2020 with some trains operating fully loaded and most passengers buying tickets at the ticket office.
Quite a few joined and alighted along the route including quite a few at Rhydyronen where there is a nearby caravan site.
The railway is functioning as a railway and not as an experience and appears to be doing very well whilst doing so.
One wonders when the powers that be up at Porthmadog will look at what is going on down the road at Tywyn and get back to normal?
However, I thought I would just record my observations at FWHR and Talyllyn over past few days.
On Saturday I attended the WHR 100 Gala based at Dinas in which was a fairly normal FWHR event with rover tickets available again (unlike the previous two Bygones Weekends where trains had to be pre booked) with people jumping on and off trains and with some trains well loaded - certainly no social distancing.
On Sunday I travelled up to Blaenau on what I didn't realise was the one and only train of the day over the whole line - having booked it online.
Arriving at Porthmadog Harbour Station I noted the Covid check in gazebo in the car park at Porthmadog was still being used, yet the ticket office is open.
As for services there is a PDF timetable showing all services but it does not actually show which days the trains operate. (See https://www.festrail.co.uk/pdf/timetable_2022.pdf) and warns that not all services run on a daily basis and one should go on line to check.
On some days there is a 14:30 Portmadog to Blaenau with a 16:25 return - but apparently not on Sunday.
It was pleasing to see that some people are now boarding for intermediate journeys (several at Minffordd) we even stopped at the railway's Coed Y Bleddiau self catering cottage on the way up to Blaenau to pick up two passengers (but didn't stop on the way back) passengers also alighted at Dduallt on the way up but did not reboard on the way down. Presumably they knew it was only one train a day and were walking?
Intermediate passengers appear to be catered for in one carriage.
The rest of the train remains socially distanced.
I was in the Pullman car Gwynedd at the Blaenau end of the train and sat in a seating bay for 4. In the next bay was another chap on his own who gathering from his branded apparel was also a fellow FRS member travelling either free if a life member or at a discount if not. There was a couple in the bay behind me a family further down the car and a couple in the observation end. The car was less than 50% full.
I am not sure what the loading was like in the rest of the train - but I imagine the other carriages apart from the intermediate stop carriage were also still socially distanced with more spare space than would normally be encountered on a peak summer holiday train.
This is peak summer when FR trains would normally be full and would also be longer than that operated on Sunday which was definitely a shorter consist.
At seat refreshments have recently re started but they were only offered in the Blaenau to Porthmadog direction for some reason.
The management have defended this approach to services by suggesting it makes it easier to manage costs and tailor services to demand. But how can running half empty, shorter trains be more cost effective and than a full length train which a much higher density passenger loading?
Yesterday I went down to Tywyn for the Talyllyn railway. The only vestiges of the Covid era was the opportunity to book a complete compartment for exclusive use. On the train I travelled in only two families appeared to have booked compartments and with children in tow I can see the logic of this for keeping families together on a busy train. Some carriages still retained the plastic covid screens.
Otherwise everything else was as normal as it was when I travelled in February 2020 with some trains operating fully loaded and most passengers buying tickets at the ticket office.
Quite a few joined and alighted along the route including quite a few at Rhydyronen where there is a nearby caravan site.
The railway is functioning as a railway and not as an experience and appears to be doing very well whilst doing so.
One wonders when the powers that be up at Porthmadog will look at what is going on down the road at Tywyn and get back to normal?
