Traws Cymru (Case Ref: EJ0076) T3 route Aberystwyth to Wrexham and Trawscymru T10/T11/T12 bus routes in North East Wales

Reply-To: john.mct@btinternet.com

 

 

 

DEAR ELIN JONES,

 

TWO WEEKS AGO I ASKED FOR A COPY OF YOUR LETTER.  COULD YOU PLEASE PROVIDE ME WITH A COPY OF THE LETTER WRITTEN TO THE CABINET SECRETARY FOR THE ECONOMY AND TRANSPORT ON MY BEHALF AND PROVIDE ME WITH A COPY OF THE MINISTERS REPLY ONCE IT IS RECEIVED.  THANK YOU IN ANTICIPATION..

 

REGARDS

 

JOHN MCTIGHE

—-Original message—-

Subject : Fwd: Traws Cymru (Case Ref: EJ0076) T3 route Aberystwyth to

> Wrexham and Trawscymru T10/T11/T12 bus routes in North East Wales

>

> Dear Elin Jones,

>

> Could you please provide me with a copy of the letter written to the

> Cabinet Secretary for the Economy and Transport on my behalf and

> provide me with a copy of the Ministers reply once it is received.

> Thank you in anticipation..

>

> Regards

>

> John McTighe

>

>> —-Original message—-

>> From : meirian.morgan@cynulliad.cymru Date : 27/06/2018 – 11:13

>> (GMTST) To : john.mct@btinternet.com Subject : Traws Cymru (Case Ref:

>> EJ0076)

>>

>> DEAR DR MCTIGHE,

>>

>> FOLLOWING YOUR RECENT EMAIL TO ELIN JONES AM, SHE HAS WRITTEN TO THE

>> CABINET SECRETARY FOR THE ECONOMY AND TRANSPORT, ASKING FOR CLARITY

>> ON THE QUESTIONS YOUR HAVE LAID OUT IN YOUR EMAIL BELOW.

>>

>> HOPEFULLY AN ANSWER WILL BE FORTHCOMING SOON.

>>

>> REGRDS,

>>

>> MEIRIAN

>>

>> MEIRIAN MORGAN

>> Swyddfa ELIN JONES Office

REPLY-TO: john.mct@

>>

>> Dear Ben Lake/Ellin Jones,

>> I have just been made aware of the following new Trawscymru routes

>> that have been put out for tender .

>> TRAWSCYMRU SERVICE T10: BANGOR – BETWS Y COED – CORWEN – CHIRK –

>> OSWESTRY TRAWSCYMRU SERVICE T11: MACHYNLLETH – NEWTOWN – WELSHPOOL –

>> WREXHAM TRAWSCYMRU SERVICE T12: MACHYNLLETH – NEWTOWN – MONTGOMERY –

>> WELSHPOOL – WREXHAM.

>> It therefore appears that the Welsh Government have jumped the gun

>> and ignored the Ken Skates statement on 23/01/2018 in the Welsh

>> Assembly Plenary  “”_IT IS MY INTENTION, DEPUTY PRESIDING OFFICER, TO

>> SUBJECT SOME OF THE EMERGING PROPOSALS AND CHOICES TO A PUBLIC

>> CONSULTATION IN THE SECOND HALF OF THIS YEAR. WE ARE DETERMINED THAT,

>> IN THE FUTURE, SCHEMES COMING FORWARD WILL BE ROBUST, DELIVERABLE AND

>> BASED ON A SOUND STRATEGIC IMPERATIVE AND ECONOMIC ANALYSIS.””_ Could

>> you please therefore ask the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and

>> Transport  the following questions on my behalf as a Ceredigion

>> resident.

>> (a) When will the review of the Aberystwyth to Wrexham Trawscymru

>> route, which was recommended by the Winckler report and which was

>> finally commissioned on 14/11/2017 (see attached letter) by the

>> Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Transport (Ken Skates), be

>> completed , reported on and available for public examination?

>> (b)  When will the Feasibilty Study/Review/Business Case, ( ie the

>> justification document for the above T10/T11/T12 Trawscymru

>> services), be reported on and available for public examination.?.

>> (c)  When will the Welsh Government Transport Strategy key action to

>> improve reliability and journey times on the T2/T1 Bangor/Carmarthen

>> route through Aberystwyth be acted upon ?

>> (d) When will the Welsh Government reverse the changes of 01/01/2018

>> to the T2 timetable in Aberystwyth,  which did nothing other than

>> deliberately destroy connectivity in Aberystwyth ?  (The T2

>> Aberystwyth departure changed from 10.05 to 10.00 am reversing a

>> 2016 decision by the previous Transport Minister, Edwina Hart, and

>> the T2 arrival at 18.40 changed to 18.50 making it impossible to

>> connect with the last T1 to Carmarthen departing at 18.40) Yours

>> Sincerely John McTighe

>>

>> ADDENDUM 1

>>

>> Posting on 24/06/2016 to the BusUKForum

>>

>> TRAWSCYMRU SERVICE T10: BANGOR – BETWS Y COED – CORWEN – CHIRK –

>> OSWESTRY TRAWSCYMRU SERVICE T11: MACHYNLLETH – NEWTOWN – WELSHPOOL –

>> WREXHAM SERVICE TRAWSCYMRU SERVICE T12: MACHYNLLETH – NEWTOWN –

>> MONTGOMERY – WELSHPOOL – WREXHAM

>>

>> _“”Thanks for the information , I have spent 6 months trying to get

>> the Welsh Government to confirm these routes , _

>>

>> _Still an absolutely crazy route for the T10, which is purely for the

>> benefit of Ken Skates Welsh Assembly  constituents in South

>> Clwyd.   Why is the route not going into Wrexham which is a

>> strategic location ??_

>>

>> _I assumed the coastal route for the T10  by the fact that Wrexham

>> Borough Council and Conwy Council were involved in discussions on

>> the route.   The Welsh Government have refused to answer my

>> questions on the route, which is no surprise now when as you rightly

>> point out there are going to be few passengers on the  T10 (Bangor

>> — Betws y Coed — Corwen — Chirk — (Oswestry*) route.   With

>> the coastal route across North Wales there would have been a big

>> market but my objection to that was it was already adequately

>> serviced by bus and rail. _ _However this new T10 route will work

>> very well for the Transport Minister’s (Ken Skates) Welsh Assembly

>> constituents in South Clwyd.

>> At Druid,. where the A5 meets the A494, the T10 route will enter Ken

>> Skates country of South Clwyd and also will meet the Trawscymru

>> T3 route a couple of miles further on before Corwen, when the T3

>> comes back onto the A5 after a 35 minute diversion around South Clwyd

>> villages on a B road .  Between Corwen and Llangollen both the

>> T3 and the T10 will run on the same route on the A5 through Ken

>> Skates country.  Do not be surprised if there are a few diversions

>> off the main route once the new T10 hits Ken Skates country as the

>> part of the T3 route from Bala to Wrexham through Ken Skates country

>> is 80% diversions off the main road._

>>

>> _I could have understood the T10 route if it went (Bangor — Betws y

>> Coed — Corwen — Wrexham) ie from one strategic location (Bangor with

>> good rail/bus links and access from Caernarvon/Anglesey/Holyhead etc)

>> to another strategic location (Wrexham with good access to 2 railway

>> stations / the UK train network and a busy bus station with many bus

>> routes into both

>> North/Mid Wales and England.   The Welsh Government T10 route is to

>> Oswestry, which has a railway station, but the railway station  is

>> closed and is now the Cambrian Railway Heritage Museum.   What is

>> the strategic importance of Oswestry ?   The strategic importance is

>> that this T10 Trawscymru service will have to cross the Assembly

>> Constituency of South Clwyd to get to Oswestry . How many passengers

>> will want to go from Bangor to Oswestry and vice versa ?. Why can

>> these passengers not use the existing T2/T3 route from Bangor to

>> Wrexham and then use the train (13 minutes from Wrexham to Chirk) or

>> the hourly Arriva bus to Oswestry?  Why do we need 2 long distance

>> routes from Bangor to Llangollen (T2/T3 and the new T10 service ?.

>> The Welsh government should publish why the destination of Oswestry

>> has been chosen .  Surely they must have done a feasibility study, or

>> a review / business case for these routes which appear to based on a

>> whim._

>>

>> _If the T10 service went to Wrexham , then passengers from Oswestry

>> and Chirk could still easily access the T10 service as there is an

>> hourly Arriva 2A bus service from Oswestry into Wrexham via Chirk and

>> from Chirk there is an hourly train service into Wrexham which takes

>> only 13 minutes . The area is overloaded with bus and train services.

>> _

>>

>> _In terms of the number of passengers that can use this T10 route the

>> following figures apply. The population figures are (Bangor 18,808,

>> _Bethesda 3,894, Betws-y-Coed  564, Corwen 2,325, Llangollen 3,658,

>> Chirk  4,468, _Oswestry_ 17,105,  Total 50,822) . For the welsh

>> government proposed T10  route .to Oswestry the total number of

>> passengers that can use this route is 50,822,  which is significantly

>> less than the 61,603 population of Wrexham, which should be the

>> strategic destination of this new T10  service . The Welsh Government

>> should change the new T10 to use a direct route

>> from Llangollen using the A5/A483 into Wrexham    The part of the

>> route from Llangollen to Oswestry across the Transport Minister’s

>> AM constituency of South Clwyd should be abandoned.   The Transport

>> Minister should stop providing Trawscymru routes for the benefit his

>> own AM constituents.

>> _With respect to the Winckler report, which has been completely

>> ignored by the Welsh Government, the T3 route from Wrexham to

>> Barmouth should not have been used and the T3 route should run from

>> Wrexham to Aberystwyth . The following are the population figures for

>> these 2 routes.:- _

>> _T3 Wrexham to Barmouth (Wrexham 61,603,.Llangollen 3,658, Corwen

>> 2,325, Bala 1,980, Dolgellau 2,678, Barmouth 2,522, ,  Total 74,766

>> )_

>>

>> _Wrexham to Aberystwyth (Wrexham 61,603, Oswestry_ 17,105, Chirk

>> 4,468, Welshpool 6,269, Newtown, 12,783, Caersws 1,586, Llandinam

>> 1,405, Llanidloes 2,929, Aberystwyth 18,965, Total 108,148 ) _The

>> Wrexham to Aberystwyth T3 route has the potential of 35,000 more

>> passengers (nearly 50% of the Wrexham/Barmouth total)  and has

>> (1) the advantage of  removing the 15 minute delays to the T2 in

>> Dolgellau to wait for the T3 from Wrexham , which is destroying

>> connectivity in Aberystwyth between T2 and T1 on the Bangor to

>> Carmarthen route. and (2) the advantage of allowing connection

>> between a Trawscymru service from Wrexham with the T4  to Cardiff in

>> Newtown and the T1 to Carmarthen and the T5 to

>> Cardigan/Haverfordwest/Fishguard in Aberystwyth.  Barmouth with a

>> population of 2,522 is not a strategic destination, whereas

>> Aberystwyth  with a population of 18,965 is.   If you remove the

>> Wrexham population figure from the T3 route totals the results are

>> even more obviously in favour of an Aberystwyth route . The Barmouth

>> route covers a population of 13,163 and the Aberystwyth route covers

>> more than 3 times that figure with a population of 46,545 ._

>>

>> _The Wrexham to Machynleth route,  (T11/T12), recently announced by

>> the First Minister Carwyn Jones is inadequate.   Machynleth with a

>> population 2,235 is not a strategic destination compared to

>> Aberystwyth with a population of _18,965.   Aberystwyth has a

>> University, a large hospital, an extensive shopping area and has 2

>> Trawscymru routes (T1 and T5) going to South Wales which could be

>> linked to by the  new T11/T12 .  The route is likely to be taken over

>> by Lloyd’s Coaches of Machynleth, which may be why Machynleth has

>> been chosen as a final destination.  However the Welsh Government

>> Transport Strategy, the Winckler report and simple common sense

>> should indicate that the route should be Wrexham to

>> Aberystwyth and not Machynleth.   If  the Welsh Government do this

>> they will repeat the same mistake they made in 2014 when they chose

>> the T3 Wrexham to Barmouth route instead of the T3 Wrexham to

>> Aberystwyth route.

>>

>> _I find it surprising that the Welsh Government have (1) A

>> Government Transport Minister,(Ken Skates)   (2) A Director of

>> Transport (Simon Jones)   (3) A deputy Director of Transport (Sheena

>> Hague) (4) A Trawscymru Network Manager (David Hall) (5) A Consultant

>> Professor Stuart Cole (__Chairman of the Wales Transport Strategy

>> Group ,Co-author of the published Welsh Government Transport

>> Strategy, and TrawsCymru national bus network Board

>> member) who are all focused on ignoring the Welsh travelling public

>> (ie the passengers) and also focused on ignoring the Winkler review

>> and their own Transport Strategy. .. The consultant Professor Stuart

>> Cole is supposedly tasked with Trawscymru route development, but the

>> T3 route (D94 in 1965 , X94 under Arriva and now the T3) has remained

>> unchanged in 53 years and the latest proposed routes (T10 Bangor to

>> Oswestry and T11/T12 Wrexham to Machynleth) indicate he is not

>> fulfilling his consultancy role.  I have also recently been informed

>> that the Welsh Government now have yet another consultant on board

>> ,Mark Barry,  Professor of Practice in Connectivity.

>> Connectivity is the appropriate subject and perhaps Mark Barry will

>> be looking at Aberystwyth and wondering why there is no connectivity

>> between T2 and T1 services.   Instead of employing Directors,

>> Network Managers and Consultants, the Welsh Government should employ

>> a team of bus drivers who I am sure would do a better job.     _

>>

>> ADDENDUM 2

>>

>> KEN SKATES  STATEMENT  ON 23/01/2018 IN PLENARY

>>

>> _“”THE WELSH GOVERNMENT WILL PUT IN PLACE A FRAMEWORK FOR THE

>> DELIVERY OF TRANSPORT SERVICES THAT CAN IMPROVE NETWORK QUALITY,

>> FREQUENCY, RELIABILITY AND PUNCTUALITY, AND PROVIDE MORE INTEGRATED

>> AND REDUCED CARBON PUBLIC TRANSPORT_.””

>>

>> RUSSELL GEORGE QUESTION ON 08/05/2018 IN PLENARY

>>

>> “”YOU’VE OUTLINED THAT MARK BARRY IS GOING TO UNDERTAKE A STRATEGIC

>> OUTLINE PROGRAMME CASE, AND TWO CASES ARE BEING PROPOSED, FOR THE

>> NORTH AND THE SOUTH. IT WOULD BE USEFUL TO HAVE SOME TIMELINES ON

>> THAT FOR WHEN THOSE CASES AND REPORTS WILL BE REPORTED TO YOU AND

>> WHEN YOU’LL BE ABLE TO REPORT BACK TO MEMBERS. WILL THIS HAPPEN

>> BEFORE THE CONSULTATION THAT YOU HAVE OUTLINED THAT WILL TAKE PLACE

>> LATER THIS YEAR? I WAS PLEASED TO SEE THAT YOU MADE REFERENCE TO THE

>> CAMBRIAN LINE AND MID WALES NOT BEING NEGLECTED, BUT I’D BE

>> INTERESTED TO SEE IF THAT DOES SIT IN YOUR NORTH WALES CASE OR YOUR

>> SOUTH WALES CASE. IT’S SURELY GOT TO FIT IN ONE OR THE OTHER. I’D

>> ALSO LIKE TO ASK YOU, CABINET, SECRETARY, HOW YOUR PLANS DOVETAIL

>> WITH EXISTING POLICY DOCUMENTS THAT THE WELSH GOVERNMENT HAS ALREADY

>> PUBLISHED. CAN YOU ALSO SPECIFICALLY OUTLINE HOW YOUR AMBITIONS WILL

>> BENEFIT WELSH COMMUTERS BASED IN BOTH URBAN AND RURAL COMMUNITIES

>> ACROSS WALES? NOW, IT’S MY VIEW THAT IT IS, OF COURSE, VITAL THAT WE

>> BUILD AN INTEGRATED TRANSPORT SYSTEM. I DON’T THINK YOU MENTIONED AT

>> ALL PLANS FOR HOW RAIL WILL BE INTEGRATED WITH BUS SERVICES TO ENSURE

>> THAT IMPROVEMENTS WILL RESULT IN BENEFITS FOR PASSENGERS ACROSS

>> WALES, SO CAN YOU GIVE SOME VIEWS ON THIS? FINALLY, CABINET

>> SECRETARY, CAN YOU OUTLINE HOW THE DELIVERY OF THESE PROPOSALS, OR

>> YOUR AMBITIONS, WILL BE SUPPORTED BY THE TWO NEW BODIES THAT HAVE

>> BEEN CREATED TO HELP DRIVE FORWARD THE CREATION OF NEW TRANSPORT

>> INFRASTRUCTURE IN WALES? I DON’T THINK YOU MENTIONED THE NATIONAL

>> INFRASTRUCTURE COMMISSION FOR WALES IN YOUR STATEMENT, WHICH I’M

>> SURPRISED ABOUT, AND IF THAT’S THE CASE, PERHAPS YOU COULD JUST

>> EXPLAIN SOME RATIONALE BEHIND THAT. AND WITH REGARD TO TRANSPORT FOR

>> WALES, I THINK AT ONE POINT THAT YOU MENTIONED THAT MARK BARRY WILL

>> BE WORKING WITH YOUR DEPARTMENT AND TRANSPORT FOR WALES, SO I’M JUST

>> KEEN TO UNDERSTAND THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN TRANSPORT FOR WALES AND

>> YOUR DEPARTMENT AND HOW THEY WORK TOGETHER. AND FINALLY, DOES THE

>> NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE COMMISSION FOR WALES HAVE THE RESOURCES AND

>> SUPPORT THAT ARE REQUIRED TO DELIVER YOUR AMBITION?””

>>

>> KEN SKATES ANSWER TO RUSSELL GEORGE ON 08/05/2018 IN PLENARY

>>

>> “”Regarding mid Wales. _MID WALES IS CRUCIALLY IMPORTANT IN

>> CONNECTING THE WHOLE OF WALES, IN ENSURING THAT WE DELIVER AT THE

>> HEART OF ‘PROSPERITY FOR ALL’ A TRULY UNITED AND CONNECTED WALES._

>> So, it will be essential that the Cambrian line is considered in all

>> of the work that’s undertaken and that we go on working with partners

>> across the border to develop cross-border transport links, both in

>> terms of rail and bus services. It’s my expectation that the early

>> work that will be completed by Professor Barry will be with me by

>> July. _I’VE ALREADY STATED THAT IT’S MY INTENTION TO GO OUT TO

>> CONSULTATION IN THE SECOND HALF OF THIS YEAR_, and so I would hope to

>> have his early findings on my desk in the coming two to three months.

>> If you look at the programme for government, we have a united and

>> connected Wales at the very heart of our desire to drive up

>> prosperity.. I do believe that the Member is absolutely right in

>> talking about the need to enhance integration of public transport

>> services, particularly in rural areas. _ALTHOUGH THIS STATEMENT TODAY

>> DOES NOT CONCERN, NECESSARILY, BUSES._ It’s also important to point

>> out that the success in recent times of the TrawsCymru network should

>> not be underestimated. _IT’S A LONG-DISTANCE NETWORK, OFTEN

>> CONNECTING COMMUNITIES NOT SERVED BY RAIL SERVICES._ It, along with

>> reform of local bus services that will come through legislation and,

>> hopefully, through _WELSH GOVERNMENT _and local authorities working

>> with the sector,_ WILL DELIVER BETTER INTEGRATION, NOT JUST IN TERMS

>> OF TIMETABLES, NOT JUST IN TERMS OF PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND

>> HUBS_, but also in terms of ticketing. That work is being taken

>> forward in parallel with the work that Professor Barry is undertaking

>> in identifying the early projects that require investment.

>>

>> Longer term, the national infrastructure commission and the experts

>> who will sit on that commission will have a role in influencing,

>> informing and scrutinising any proposals from Welsh Government and

>> Transport for Wales. In terms of Transport for Wales and the role

>> that Mark Barry has in informing the work that Transport for Wales is

>> doing, and where the Department for Transport is concerned, Professor

>> Barry brings expertise that currently complements what Transport for

>> Wales has to offer. It’s my view that Professor Barry is able to

>> inform Transport for Wales in an objective way and inform the UK

>> Government’s decisions in an objective way by offering us expert

>> views, expert analysis and an evidence-based approach to the projects that should be prioritised in the early stages.””