Transport for Wales (TfW) is a nationalised company, owned and run by the Welsh Government. Socialists/communists always think they can run companies better than private enterprise and never learn that they can’t. They promise much and deliver little.
In TfW’s “Our Story” in 2019 they promised, “We begin running 215 trains a week between North Wales and Liverpool, providing a major economic boost to the region.” Let’s examine that statement. 215 trains a week, say 30 each day – 15 in each direction. So, roughly hourly between 6am and 9pm. From North Wales – maybe Bangor, Llandudno?
So let’s have a reality check. How many services per week are TfW currently running between North Wales and Liverpool? Answer: twelve. One return each day from Monday to Saturday, leaving Wrexham at 6:20am and getting back at 6:50 pm. Now there’s a really useful service! Massive economic benefits, I’m sure, and TfW are still trumpeting their ‘achievement’ in 2023, despite the service being only one train each way! But then they have little else to boast about.
They also promised new trains, which eventually began running late last year. Against industry recommendations, the Welsh Government decided to have only one toilet in each two-car train. So now, with 116 seats in each train, plus other standing passengers, the WC retention tank is filling up too fast and the unit has to be taken out of service for it to be emptied. Result: service cancellations and delays on hot summer afternoons when people drink more. Another wrong decision goes down the pan!
So how pleased are you with the way the Labour government in Cardiff is running our train services? On 18th September Transport Focus issued its latest report on customer satisfaction on Britain’s railways. Of the 22 train operating companies in the UK, Transport for Wales came 22nd for overall journey satisfaction at 73%. On punctuality/reliability TfW also came last, by some margin, with a score of just 61%. Value for money was down at 50%. You can see the results for yourself on www.transportfocus.org.uk
It is obvious that the Welsh Labour Government are totally incompetent at running a railway (as well as many other things!). The only thing they do well is break promises.