HOW Line 5th Train to be restored?

[mrd269697]

Seen this article online explaining that an argument has been reached to reinstate a 5th service along the Heart of Wales line.

Services to be restored to main Powys rail line after Welsh Government budget

Services will be restored to the Heart of Wales line after an agreement was reached for the Welsh Government budget.

www.countytimes.co.uk

Funding has been secured to restore the fifth train service on the Heart of Wales line after an agreement was reached Labour and Jane Dodds MS, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats.

This cut had been announced back in October by Transport for Wales as part of their Future Timetable Review.

Though I must stress this is a news article, and I’ve yet to see an announcement from Transport for Wales.

Unlike a minority of people in this forum, I consider this to be a fantastic bit of news if true. Yes, the line requires a lot of subsidy, but a railway line isn’t there to make profit - it’s for the benefit of the community, which would be very isolated without it. Roads don’t make profits, yet we pump billions into those every year (because we need them) so I don’t see why the same logic can’t be applied to rail as well.

It will make walks along the trail a bit more feasible with services spread out a little more evenly!

Probably one of my favourite rail lines. Getting off at rural halts in the middle of nowhere feels like a relic of a bygone age. It’s just wonderful.

 

[Belperpete]

I saw this announced on the national news. I am assuming that the budget will have to be passed by the Senedd before TfW get the funds to implement it.

 

[nwales58]

It's within Jane Dodds' (regional) constituency (and more use than greyhound racing).

But the Cambrian coast is too, so can we have the late train all year round again please?

 

[DelW]

See also posts about this in the "speculative discussion" forum, in the thread about future HoWL timetables:

Could the Heart of Wales timetable be improved?

This is the type of point I was going to raise, the power of the right promotion is incredibly strong. It seems unlikely that this route will ever make much from commuting or shopping trips, but the leisure market could have a lot of potential. I do wonder whether there isn't scope to improve...

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[HamworthyGoods]

Seen this article online explaining that an argument has been reached to reinstate a 5th service along the Heart of Wales line.

Doesn’t sound very hopeful for the long term if it’s been agreed by an argument!

 

[Starmill]

The X48 between Craven Arms and Llandrindod Wells, with a small number of extensions to Builth Wells and Llanwrtyd Wells, also shadows the railway. I wonder if it will stay following the additional trains, presumably with some retiming? It does apparently take railway tickets according to the note on the timetable (though there's nothing to suggest bus tickets are accepted on Transport for Wales trains).

For obvious reasons, the bus doesn't go to Builth Road station, nor stations between Pen-y-Bont and Knighton. It does serve the towns and villages on the road of course, including Bulith Wells.

 

[30907]

The X48 between Craven Arms and Llandrindod Wells, with a small number of extensions to Builth Wells and Llanwrtyd Wells, also shadows the railway. I wonder if it will stay following the additional trains, presumably with some retiming?

As it was funded by TfW in response to the slimmed down service, I suspect it will disappear - unless any specific journey is well used, I suppose.

 

[Starmill]

As it was funded by TfW in response to the slimmed down service, I suspect it will disappear - unless any specific journey is well used, I suppose.

Might be quite awkward now. It's a lot more useful than the single train service will be...

The only real advantage of the train is that it would go to Shrewsbury, which the bus can't realistically.