| Connectivity - north to south Wales Posted by grahame at 15:30, 3rd March 2025 |     |
From Transport for Wales press release
Transport for Wales is launching a public consultation on proposals for a potential new express coach service that would transform connectivity between North and South Wales.
The proposed service would run between Bangor and Carmarthen, cutting journey times by 90 minutes compared to current public transport options. The express-stop service would call at key town centres and railway stations along Wales' western coast, including Caernarfon, Porthmadog, Dolgellau, Machynlleth, and Aberystwyth.
With an expected journey time of 4 hours 45 minutes, the service is being proposed to provide a faster, more convenient travel option for tourists and university students, while improving connections between communities along the western corridor.
Plans include running up to eight coaches per day, with modern on-board facilities suitable for longer journeys and integration with rail services for onward travel.
The public consultation period will run for four weeks from 3rd March, with an online 'have your say' page where people can learn about the proposals and share their views via a survey.
The proposed service would run between Bangor and Carmarthen, cutting journey times by 90 minutes compared to current public transport options. The express-stop service would call at key town centres and railway stations along Wales' western coast, including Caernarfon, Porthmadog, Dolgellau, Machynlleth, and Aberystwyth.
With an expected journey time of 4 hours 45 minutes, the service is being proposed to provide a faster, more convenient travel option for tourists and university students, while improving connections between communities along the western corridor.
Plans include running up to eight coaches per day, with modern on-board facilities suitable for longer journeys and integration with rail services for onward travel.
The public consultation period will run for four weeks from 3rd March, with an online 'have your say' page where people can learn about the proposals and share their views via a survey.
| Re: Connectivity - north to south Wales Posted by anthony215 at 17:24, 3rd March 2025 | |
From Transport for Wales press release
Transport for Wales is launching a public consultation on proposals for a potential new express coach service that would transform connectivity between North and South Wales.
The proposed service would run between Bangor and Carmarthen, cutting journey times by 90 minutes compared to current public transport options. The express-stop service would call at key town centres and railway stations along Wales' western coast, including Caernarfon, Porthmadog, Dolgellau, Machynlleth, and Aberystwyth.
With an expected journey time of 4 hours 45 minutes, the service is being proposed to provide a faster, more convenient travel option for tourists and university students, while improving connections between communities along the western corridor.
Plans include running up to eight coaches per day, with modern on-board facilities suitable for longer journeys and integration with rail services for onward travel.
The public consultation period will run for four weeks from 3rd March, with an online 'have your say' page where people can learn about the proposals and share their views via a survey.
The proposed service would run between Bangor and Carmarthen, cutting journey times by 90 minutes compared to current public transport options. The express-stop service would call at key town centres and railway stations along Wales' western coast, including Caernarfon, Porthmadog, Dolgellau, Machynlleth, and Aberystwyth.
With an expected journey time of 4 hours 45 minutes, the service is being proposed to provide a faster, more convenient travel option for tourists and university students, while improving connections between communities along the western corridor.
Plans include running up to eight coaches per day, with modern on-board facilities suitable for longer journeys and integration with rail services for onward travel.
The public consultation period will run for four weeks from 3rd March, with an online 'have your say' page where people can learn about the proposals and share their views via a survey.
It's a good idea and will help ease crowding on the T1 and T2 services in particular as well as offering a faster north-south journey time
| Re: Connectivity - north to south Wales Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 18:43, 3rd March 2025 | |
Due to my lack of any experience of travel between North and South Wales, 'I have no opinion either way'.
Could that perhaps be added as another option in the poll - simply to include any 'don't know / none of the above' voters in the results?
CfN.
| Re: Connectivity - north to south Wales Posted by grahame at 22:01, 3rd March 2025 | |
Due to my lack of any experience of travel between North and South Wales, 'I have no opinion either way'.
Could that perhaps be added as another option in the poll - simply to include any 'don't know / none of the above' voters in the results?
CfN.
Could that perhaps be added as another option in the poll - simply to include any 'don't know / none of the above' voters in the results?
CfN.
I am normally reluctant to edit poll options once they'r running - however I have made an exception this time. Very strong case and it's unlikely that having the extra option will swing the proportions of votes between the other options.
| Re: Connectivity - north to south Wales Posted by Chris from Nailsea at 23:37, 3rd March 2025 | |
Thanks, grahame.
I have now voted, and I do agree that it is unlikely to swing the proportion of votes - but it may help to show that any eventual result was not 'unanimous'.
CfN.
| Re: Connectivity - north to south Wales Posted by Sixty3Closure at 00:15, 5th March 2025 | |
I've voted 'yes' but not entirely convinced. Are the roads suitable and does the traffic flow well enough to make it worth while? The Welsh Government seems quite against investing in roads and while I'd generally support more rail I'm not sure its practical from the other thread. Their track record on the M4 doesn't bode well for an Express Service.
I'd also wonder if there's enough demand if you don't include Cardiff or at least Swansea as the towns mentioned are all relatively small population centres. I've not caught the T1 for some time but is it that busy to need 8 more coaches a day outside term start time? It tended to be empty some runs and packed others which suggests a timetable tweak might be cheaper.
| Re: Connectivity - north to south Wales Posted by froome at 08:55, 5th March 2025 | |
I can see there being a demand for a north to SW Wales service, but not to the extent of 8 coaches a day. Much of the demand will be capable of being satisfied using the existing T1 and 2 services, so as already said, tweaking these plus maybe a couple of through services that are very limited stop, would I would have thought, be a more sensible way of matching demand to supply.
Improving train times, and more importantly, providing greater capacity (ie more carriages) from north to SE Wales would satisfy the greater demand for a reasonably quick and comfortable service from north Wales to Cardiff and Swansea.
I don't think long-distance coach services can ever really fully replace long-distance trains. There will be many people who find being in a coach for several hours (even if it has toilet facilities) very uncomfortable or completely impossible. How would they accommodate wheelchair users and others of limited mobility? What about luggage space (which the current trains fail to provide adequately)?
| Re: Connectivity - north to south Wales Posted by Mark A at 12:34, 5th March 2025 | |
**snip**
Improving train times, and more importantly, providing greater capacity (ie more carriages) from north to SE Wales would satisfy the greater demand for a reasonably quick and comfortable service from north Wales to Cardiff and Swansea.
**snip**
Improving train times, and more importantly, providing greater capacity (ie more carriages) from north to SE Wales would satisfy the greater demand for a reasonably quick and comfortable service from north Wales to Cardiff and Swansea.
**snip**
This plus sorting out that single track section
Mark
Edit by Rogerw to clarify
