Memorandum by Councillor Donald G Clow
(RR 14)
TRANSPORT COMMITTEE'S FORTHCOMING VISIT TO
SHREWSBURY—21 APRIL 2004
As a Councillor on Church Stretton Town Council
and that council's representative to the Church Stretton and District
Rail Users Association I wish to make the following points.
MAIN ISSUES
1. The lack of a direct rail service between
Shrewsbury and London is much regretted.
2. The recent loss of the direct service
into Waterloo is similarly regretted.
3. There is frequent overcrowding on the
two-coach trains on the Manchester-Cardiff route especially during
holiday times and during the morning and late afternoon peaks.
This does not encourage the use of rail services. The occasional
three-coach sets show what could be achieved for a comfortable
journey. Can the number of three coach trains become the norm
and not the exception?
4. There is an annoying arrangement where
by some trains miss out Church Stretton and others omit the Craven
Arms or Leominster stops. The problem can hardly be to satisfy
a tightly-timed timetable in view of the long stops at Shrewsbury.
5. There are some quite long gaps in timing
between trains which serve to limit their use by residents of
the town during the day.
OTHER MATTERS
6. The Project Inform information service
at platforms is more likely to provide misinformation. Strangely
the announced times still gave BST even in the winter months!
7. "Wales and Borders" was an
accurate description of the service provided by the previous operator—"Arriva
Wales" certainly is not in view of the considerable length
of line within England and the several representations made to
Arriva Wales' management get a dismissive response.
8. In spite of the face of the same management
operating both lines, it is still appreciably cheaper to buy separate
tickets Church Stretton to Shrewsbury and then Shrewsbury to Birmingham
rather than a through ticket from Church Stretton to Birmingham.
D G Clow
April 2004
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