Transport for Wales

[Its been emotional]

Sounds like the Tory master plan is working.................
It's called a 'race to the bottom' 🤡

[chrisp_1927]

The north to south tfw services are very frustrating at present. They've got some really nice sets of loco and coaches that are meant to be operating the majority of services a day. Down to a lack of crew trained on them they are often subbed out for a rickety 2 car train that should be doing local journeys.

I don’t think covid helped their training and bit they really should have done better. I've said before, but I really do feel like tfw took their eye off the ball in terms of the present. I've got no doubt it will be good in future, but it's really not up to scratch at present.

[Organ Morgan.]

You have to wonder how much training is required to drive a train. Stick to the speed limit along different parts of the route. Stop at a red sign, start at a green one. The control panel looks simple enough to learn what's what.

Perhaps most of their, and the guards', teaching surrounds diversity and being sympathetic to transitioning blokes intent on becoming bearded lesbians.

[JamesWales]

Sounds like the Tory master plan is working.................
It's called a 'race to the bottom' ��

You are aware how much the Tories spent (of our money) keeping the rail industry going for many many months during Covid when barely a soul was using them of course?

[Eric the Half a Bee]

You have to wonder how much training is required to drive a train. Stick to the speed limit along different parts of the route. Stop at a red sign, start at a green one. The control panel looks simple enough to learn what's what.

I love people who say nonsense like this. Ignorance is bliss.

I'm not a train driver but I know one and I asked him about it once.

It's obvious to say it, but with driving a train, safety is paramount. They're not vehicles that can stop quickly like a car. I understand that a train doing 70mph would take about a mile to stop. I dare say the basics of driving a train seem straightforward, but that's not all there is to it. It's not like having a car driving licence and being able to use it on any roads you want. A train driver cannot simply just drive a train wherever they like.

Train drivers can only operate on routes and lines on which they have been trained and they need to demonstrate intimate knowledge of that route. Literally from start to finish they need to know every station, speed limit, signal, even gradients and be able to prove they have that knowledge. If a train driver doesn't operate a route for 6 months they need to be put back into training for that route.

[Alfresco]

There used to be a direct bus service from Cardiff to Swansea that took about a hour, that's gone. Try getting to Swansea by bus now.

[WJ99mobile]

There used to be a direct bus service from Cardiff to Swansea that took about a hour, that's gone. Try getting to Swansea by bus now.

There shouldn’t be any need for a bus to Swansea.

Buses should be local routes only and that’s why we need a integrated transport service

[xsnaggle]

There shouldn’t be any need for a bus to Swansea.

Buses should be local routes only and that’s why we need a integrated transport service

I have just booked tickets to London with train line and the first thing on the booking page was "Have you considered taking the bus"
The train fare was 68 quid, the bus less than 20.
A train ticket seller telling me to use the bus!!!!!

[Alfresco]

There shouldn’t be any need for a bus to Swansea.

Buses should be local routes only and that’s why we need a integrated transport service

If you didn't have a car how would you get to Porthcawl?

[JamesWales]

It's beyond hilarious you've failed to mention the decades of privatisation in our train system before this. TFW ordered new trains as soon as possible once they were in charge. What else can they do? Just magic up train and staff?

It's beyond hilarious that someone has the temerity to be pissed off about trains not turning up and blames the owners and operators as opposed to a process that happened 25 years ago.

I just want the trains to work Doucas. Couldnt care less who runs them. In this case, they are run by a not for profit company wholly owned by the Welsh Govt - which is presumably a category on pornhub for you?

Anyway, my original comment, made many months ago was more a frustration at the WG's slow route out of Covid

[North Cardiff Blue]

There are two issues here. The first is the transport policy in Wales, which is appalling - it's barely third world standard. We don't have any motorways in Wales. If you're restricted to driving at fifty mph, then it's not a motorway, it's an A-road. And if you can't get a bus or a train, you have to use your car, but the roads are strangled by bus routes and cycle lanes.

The second is Covid, and the way that certain people continue to rip the piss out of it, taking leave after leave. It only seems to affect unionised or nationalised businesses, did you notice? That's because no-one else would put up with all that lead-swinging. Farcical.

Thats true!

[blue matt]

The second is Covid, and the way that certain people continue to rip the piss out of it, taking leave after leave. It only seems to affect unionised or nationalised businesses, did you notice? That's because no-one else would put up with all that lead-swinging. Farcical.

Its now June and this still applies, I phoned my local planning dept for a appointment 2 weeks ago

we dont do appointments sir,
Hmmmm how do I show you my plans
We have very few people in the office
( Now I could have guess why, but had to ask ) Whys that ?
Covid
( I laughed )

The whole country is back to normal now, yet the council are still WFH ( which is fine if they can do the same job as if they were in the office, but in this case, they simple cant )

[Doucas]

It's beyond hilarious that someone has the temerity to be pissed off about trains not turning up and blames the owners and operators as opposed to a process that happened 25 years ago.

I just want the trains to work Doucas. Couldnt care less who runs them. In this case, they are run by a not for profit company wholly owned by the Welsh Govt - which is presumably a category on pornhub for you?

Anyway, my original comment, made many months ago was more a frustration at the WG's slow route out of Covid

My argument is the trains would be working if we hadn't had decades of privatisation. Public ownership works in other countries but you're judging it after a miniscule amount of time here.

There's no winning answer when it comes to covid, we've seen repeatedly what fast routes out of it achieves, more lockdowns and deaths.

[poc]

Its now June and this still applies, I phoned my local planning dept for a appointment 2 weeks ago

we dont do appointments sir,
Hmmmm how do I show you my plans
We have very few people in the office
( Now I could have guess why, but had to ask ) Whys that ?
Covid
( I laughed )

The whole country is back to normal now, yet the council are still WFH ( which is fine if they can do the same job as if they were in the office, but in this case, they simple cant )

its getting beyond now everyone still using covid as the answer / excuse cant even speak to a gp , the dvla its down to the backlog caused by covid

[Eric the Half a Bee]

its getting beyond now everyone still using covid as the answer / excuse cant even speak to a gp , the dvla its down to the backlog caused by covid

Did you think that the moment all restrictions were lifted that everything would return to normal almost straight away?

[poc]

Did you think that the moment all restrictions were lifted that everything would return to normal almost straight away?

not at all but its going on and on

[JamesWales]

My argument is the trains would be working if we hadn't had decades of privatisation. Public ownership works in other countries but you're judging it after a miniscule amount of time here.

There's no winning answer when it comes to covid, we've seen repeatedly what fast routes out of it achieves, more lockdowns and deaths.

Yeah, no I appreciate that, and I don't entirely disagree. Rail privatisation hasnt really worked, partly because there is no real competition (unlike inter city buses for example). That said, vastly more people use them now than under British Rail, and whilst I am too young to remember them, I am well advised that British Rail was pretty unreliable and grubby itself.

My point being though, that the railways here are owned and run effectively by the Welsh Govt. If a train routinely doesnt show up, with no notice, no apology or commentary and passengers are just stuck there in the cold and dark then the responsibility for that is with the operators, not something that happened 25 years ago.

Anyway, I am pleased to say things seem to be better than they were several months ago.

[North Cardiff Blue]

Did you think that the moment all restrictions were lifted that everything would return to normal almost straight away?

No not for nationalised business's I was fairly certain they would stay off far longer then private industry, and when forced to go back there would be an even bigger increase in sickness, surely everyone expected that?

[Eric the Half a Bee]

No not for nationalised business's I was fairly certain they would stay off far longer then private industry, and when forced to go back there would be an even bigger increase in sickness, surely everyone expected that?

I was wondering where Feedback had gone

[Eric the Half a Bee]

Yeah, no I appreciate that, and I don't entirely disagree. Rail privatisation hasnt really worked, partly because there is no real competition (unlike inter city buses for example). That said, vastly more people use them now than under British Rail, and whilst I am too young to remember them, I am well advised that British Rail was pretty unreliable and grubby itself.

My point being though, that the railways here are owned and run effectively by the Welsh Govt. If a train routinely doesnt show up, with no notice, no apology or commentary and passengers are just stuck there in the cold and dark then the responsibility for that is with the operators, not something that happened 25 years ago.

Anyway, I am pleased to say things seem to be better than they were several months ago.

So was your beef with the lack of notification rather than the lack of service itself?

[JamesWales]

So was your beef with the lack of notification rather than the lack of service itself?

Quite obviously both. Clearly the main frustration is a service being cancelled. However, at least if you knew about it you could make alternative arrangements

[North Cardiff Blue]

I was wondering where Feedback had gone

Feedback?

[A Quiet Monkfish]

Did you think that the moment all restrictions were lifted that everything would return to normal almost straight away?

Plumbers, electricians, et al - all worked through the pandemic.

[North Cardiff Blue]

Plumbers, electricians, et al - all worked through the pandemic.

Exactly covid restrictions and furlough especially have drastically affected the workfrce, some have worked through it but are now burnt out and suffering massive sickness levels. Some had months, running towards years off and have decided sod it i'll retire work somewhere easier, and many have worked from home, and are very reluctant to go back to the old ways even for a small percentage of the time.

I suppose it will settle down but I think it will tae a good few years, and we will have to live through problemes with shortages of staff in some areas, like the NHS, travel, hospitality for quite a while yet!

[The Bloop]

Now they're asking people to find another way of getting to and from the Tom Jones / Stereophonics concerts at the weekend.
Not their fault though 🙄

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