Wrexham Bidston railway line operating reduced service for second day in row
For the second day in a row, the Wrexham Bidston railway line is operating a reduced service, leaving many commuters facing delays and altered travel plans.
Transport for Wales has announced that a larger than usual number of trains are sidelined for repairs, leading to a reduced train service on this line.
Effective immediately, several departures from both Wrexham Central and Bidston stations will not be serviced by trains but by road transport, which will be provided by Premier Travel.
The bus replacement service takes twice as long as train travel.
The line is currently serviced by the troubled Class 230 units and Class 150 trains.
The issue appears to be with the Class 230 unit(s), which have struggled with reliability and adhering to the hourly timetable since their introduction.
A statement on the Transport for Wales website says: “Due to more trains than usual requiring repairs at the same time, a reduced train service will operate between Wrexham Central and Bidston. Departures from Wrexham Central at 07:32, 09:35, 11:34, 13:34, 15:45, and 17:42 and departures from Bidston at 08:33, 10:34, 12:34, 14:34, 16:33, and 18:47 are replaced by road transport supplied by Premier Travel. Extended journey times are to be expected by road.”
Following widespread criticism of the service on the Wrexham Central and Bidston route, TfW introduced a “5-step improvement plan” aimed at stabilising the reliability of the new trains and improving the service.
The plan included the appointment of a dedicated route officer to delve deep into the issues on the line and develop a long-term focus on performance and reliability.
A commitment to delivering the maximum level of reliability to our Class 230 fleet and optimising the current provision.
And a commitment to keeping all rail replacements to a minimum.
TfW said: “Recognising the impact of rail replacement on rural north Wales and the challenges this creates for customers, we commit to run a rail service wherever we possibly can. When there are shortages of fleet in other areas, we will consider very carefully the impact of reallocating trains and will only do so in exceptional circumstances. Our Route Officer will be walking in the shoes of customers to understand the impact of cancellations.”
“The officer will also work closely with our road transport providers for times where this use is unavoidable so we can make this a truly customer-friendly service.”
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