A LOCAL rail action group is highlighting the real impact of delays on travellers to South Pembrokeshire, after a passenger revealed she had to improvise travel arrangements during a recent weekend of disruption.

On Sunday, September 20, passengers travelling towards South Pembrokeshire faced serious disruption, with services between Carmarthen and Pembroke Dock affected.

Passengers were warned of delays of up to an hour or revised journeys, but the 16:50 Swansea to Pembroke Dock service eventually ran 1 hour 32 minutes late.

A passenger who spoke directly to South Pembrokeshire Rail Action Group (SPRAG) described a rather different experience: She described lengthy waits before eventually being directed onto a bus from Carmarthen. However, that bus only got her as far as Tenby. From there, she made her own arrangements to finish the journey.

“Her experience is one passenger’s account, rather than a complete picture of how every traveller was handled that day,” concedes the action group, “but it raises an important question.

“When we talk about how late a train was, are we always describing how bad the journey was?

“For somebody travelling to South Pembrokeshire, disruption at Carmarthen can be particularly damaging. Services become less frequent as you travel west, alternatives diminish, and a delay can quickly turn into a considerably longer journey involving buses, waiting and improvised arrangements.”

According to statistics published on TransitRadar, Transport for Wales achieved 818 runs on Sunday, September 20, with only 3 per cent cancelled. Of 647 arrivals recorded, 90 per cent were ‘on time’ (or 87% if you include the cancellations) and the average delay was calculated at 0.5 minutes.

But these figures misrepresent the real situation for South Pembrokeshire rail travellers.

The group underlines the distinction: “Officially, the train was late. For many of its passengers, the train had effectively disappeared.

“That distinction matters.

“Railway records show that Sunday's 16:50 Swansea to Pembroke Dock eventually operated, arriving 92 minutes late. But by then, according to the account given to SPRAG, many of the passengers waiting for it had already been sent away from the railway and onto replacement buses.”

The replacement buses between Carmarthen and Whitland had been established earlier in the day on account of engineering work.

“What happened later illustrates something SPRAG has argued consistently,” the group adds: “the experience of passengers at the end of the line matters just as much as the movement of trains on a performance chart.”

“A train eventually reaching Pembroke Dock is welcome. But if its passengers have already been put on buses, ’92 minutes late’ doesn't tell the whole story.”

SPRAG campaigns for improvements and modernisation of rail services to and from Pembroke Dock, in order to connect South Pembrokeshire to the rest of the country.

The group’s aims include the introduction of an hourly service between Pembroke Dock and Swansea; the reduction of connection times for onward journeys; and the provision of an affordable and intelligent rail-ticketing structure.

To receive the group’s mailings, send your name and closest station to [email protected] .