Play them at their own game!

 Planning on travelling to Cardiff on match day? Wondering how to get there because of the looming strikes? Why not play the drivers at their own game and find alternative transport.

Here are some alternative options to the trains:

• Why not car share? Split the cost and use one of the three Park and Ride facilities dotted around Cardiff City Centre (Cost is only £3 per car and buses are every 15 minutes)
  Click here for more info 
• Use a bus? For example, Newport Bus offer a unlimited day ticket for only £2.75 - You can travel all around Newport and to Cardiff and back as many times as you like - Great Value.
  Click here for Newport Bus or here to search for other bus companies
   
• Take a taxi? Might sound expensive, but sharing one with other people you are travelling with will reduce the cost and you can book it for the time you like - No waiting in the cold!
  Click here for taxi companies

So why not beat the drivers strike, by taking a different means of travel. 

Wales-England rugby rail strike 'will be disastrous'

The train strike planned for Wales' Six Nations opener against England in Cardiff on Friday will be disastrous for the country's image, says an MP.

The rail union RMT is due to strike, claiming its pay offer from Arriva Trains Wales amounted to a cut.
But Vale of Glamorgan Conservative MP Alun Cairns called on the assembly government to intervene, saying he had "no sympathy" with the train drivers.

Arriva Trains Wales said its 12% pay offer over two years was very generous.

But RMT general secretary Bob Crow said the offer was "unacceptable" and would have left members "with an effective pay cut and which was loaded with strings".

The strike has been called for the day Wales meet England in the evening fixture at the Millennium Stadium.

Mr Cairns, who is also AM for South West Wales, said: "The situation on Friday will be horrendous and impossible for those travelling on trains into Cardiff.

'Get real'

"Not only will it send the wrong message to the rest of the UK and potential investors, but it will be disastrous if it isn't stopped.

"It will be a disaster in terms of PR, a disaster in terms of organisation and a disaster in terms of health and safety.

"I hope the assembly government will use all its might to try and force the union to back down."

Mr Cairns also called on Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones to stop "ignoring" the situation and said train drivers needed to "get real" in tough economic times.

Mr Jones has called on both sides in the strike to negotiate to try to avert the action, saying it would cause "unnecessary inconvenience".

But he said the assembly government should not be directly involved in industrial relations matters.

An estimated 32,000 fans usually use the company's services on match days.

On Thursday the train operating firm's operations and safety director, Peter Leppard, said it was "still talking" to the rail union but a resolution before next Friday "does not look hopeful".

Mr Leppard called the strike "completely unjustifiable".

He said the pay offer would raise an Arriva driver's basic salary to £39,117, an "astonishingly good" income in Wales and a "mid table" salary among train drivers in the UK.

But the RMT says staff do not believe the current offer goes "far enough to protect their standard of living".

The Welsh Assembly Government has been asked to comment.

*Story taken from BBC News Wales. Read it here*

Court plan to prevent Six Nations rail strike

Arriva Trains Wales (ATW) is considering court action to prevent the rail strike planned on the opening day of the Six Nations rugby tournament.

The strike over pay is due next Friday when Wales host England at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

Wales rugby fans have said they expect travel chaos in Cardiff city centre on the night of the game.

Rail union RMT said the pay offer was unacceptable and would leave members with an effective pay cut.

ATW, which operates trains across Wales, confirmed it may seek a court injunction to stop the industrial action by members of RMT.

It said the strike would cause disruption and inconvenience for many thousands of rail passengers and rugby fans.

The train operator has said its offer of a 12% pay increase over two years, taking a driver's basic salary to £39,117, was "very generous".

The RMT disputes the 12% figure, saying the rise for this year is actually 3.7%, and claims it is an effective pay cut.

A union spokesperson said: "Our dispute is not with the rugby fans of Wales or England, our dispute is with ATW.

"We decide on our tactics to force the issue with the company. We have to look at all the options.

"It's forced the company to take this issue seriously. We're not doing this to disrupt people who are going to the rugby."

An estimated 32,000 fans usually use ATW's services on match days, forcing many supporters to make other arrangements.

Pontypridd RFC finance director Peter Howells said: "We've almost filled one coach and we're looking at getting another one.

"We would normally run one coach but because of the increased demand, we're in the process of organising another."

Wales rugby fan Dave Evans, from Cardiff, said: "The fans are presumably going to try to come down by car.

"That's going to cause chaos in the centre of Cardiff - that's the point of the strike but that doesn't help the fans."

Talks between the union and the train operator are expected to take place on Monday.

Transport Ieuan Wyn Jones has called on both sides to negotiate.

ATW employs 617 drivers of which 129 are in the RMT, with the remainder in the Aslef union.

ATW does not expect the other drivers to cross the picket line.

*Story taken from BBC Wales News. Read it here*

Councillors slam rail bosses over Newport station

LEADING Newport councillors launched a stinging attack on Network Rail yesterday over the way it has handled complaints about the city's railway station - hours after its official opening.

Deputy council leader Ed Townsend branded Network Rail "singularly unhelpful" after the authority raised numerous complaints from members of the public about the £22 million new station which opened in September.

The catalogue of complaints include the leaking roof, lack of an information desk, the fact there is only one ticket desk, the cafe and WH Smith are too far away from platforms two and three to be of any use, lifts are often not working, there is a lack of signs.

On December 4, we reported how Newport council's managing director Tracey Lee and Newport Unlimited chief executive Gareth Beer were calling for an urgent meeting to address the problems.

Speaking at yesterday's full council meeting, Cllr Townsend told fellow member Ray Truman: "I share your disappointment about the station. I do not like it."

He said he has had discussions with Network Rail about the site's accessibility and added: "I think they are being singularly unhelpful with every dealing Newport City Council has...It's about time they responded to the people of Newport not to the shareholders or their board."

Cllr Townsend said that leader Matthew Evans has raised the problems with deputy first minister and transport minister Ieuan Wyn Jones, in Newport yesterday to officially open the station, and first minister Carwyn Jones.

"We are desperately serious that Network Rail responds to our needs," he added.

Cllr Truman said: "It's about improving Newport city centre. The station has a big role to play in that and needs to be service-friendly for people."

A Network Rail spokeswoman said: "Feedback from passengers are important to us and we take them very seriously.

"Improvements, which include improving signage and facilities for disabled passengers, were made to the station as soon as any issued were raised to our attention as we were determined to make it right.

"Our doors remain open to discuss any further concerns that the council may have. "Whilst we recognise that there is always room for improvement, we should also not lose sight of the benefits that the improved station has brought and mostly, boosting the competitive edge which the city needs."

At the opening, Mr Wyn Jones said he hoped the station, part-funded with £8.5 million Assembly money, would act as an incentive to attract investment.

This month saw the passenger numbers coming through the new station pass the 900,000 mark and Network Rail are expected to hit one million within the next four weeks.

The South Wales Argus put passengers concerns over new station to Mr Jones and rail bosses who then referred the reporter to Network Rail. Here is what they had to say:.

 

1. Lack of information desk and one ticket desk

Response: Access to information has changed, people using phones, internet and smart phones to get info and book tickets. "This is a modern, forward-looking station designed for now and many years in the future, it's a shift in demand."

2. W H Smith too far away

Response: Location of W H Smith was up to the store itself. "W H Smith was given the opportunity to go to certain locations - if they want to move somewhere else, there is a way they can do that."

3. Lifts don't work

Response: Network Rail said they had a minor technical fault with the lifts shortly after opening, but it was rectified straight away.

4. Lack of signs

Response: After the station opened, Network Rail had a walk through with some disabled people to highlight any issues, as a result of what was said, they added more signs, including one for the short-stay car park and for the lifts and added extra handrails in the toilets.

5. The leaking roof

Response: Network Rail's principal programme sponsor Mike Gallop said the leaks in the roof were teething problems which have been addressed

*Taken from the South Wales Argus - Read the story here* 

Arriva Trains Wales rail strike on Six Nations opener

Train services look set to be disrupted around Cardiff on the day of Wales' opening Six Nations match against England.

Rail union RMT says it will strike on Friday, 4 February after talks with Arriva Trains Wales over pay broke down.

Arriva Trains Wales (ATW) said its offer, a 12% pay increase over two years, was "very generous".

In December, ATW train drivers held a one-day strike over pay and conditions.

The strike falls on the day the Wales rugby team play England in an evening fixture at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

ATW, which operates train services across Wales, said the strike "will cause disruption and inconvenience for many thousands of rail passengers and rugby fans".

It said: "Despite several increases the unions still have not accepted the latest offer and the dispute remains unresolved."

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said the offer was "unacceptable" and would have left members "with an effective pay cut and which was loaded with strings".

He added: "We have held a full consultation with our members and they are clear that the current position of ATW does not go far enough to protect their standard of living."

First Great Western (FGW), which runs services between Swansea and London, said its services would not be affected.

There are FGW services after the final whistle on 4 February from Cardiff Central to Swansea at 2226, 2257, 2328, 2343 and 0055.

Heading in the opposite direction towards Bristol, there are trains at 2204, 2249, 2315 and 2330.
 
*Story taken from BBC Wales News. Read more here*

The solution to overcrowding? - Push the ticket prices up!!

 Train fares could soar in bid to end rail overcrowding

Moves to ease overcrowding on trains could lead to double-digit fare increases within the next year, campaigners have said.
The warning came after ministers unveiled plans to shake up rail franchises, with longer deals to encourage operators to invest in services.

But transport campaigners say the costs will simply be passed on to commuters, already facing fare rises of nearly eight per cent next year.

In West Yorkshire, operators have struck a deal to increase fares by ten per cent in return for putting extra carriages on their trains.

Campaign for Better Transport’s Alexandra Woodsworth said: ‘All passengers will be paying much more without necessarily seeing improvements on their services.’

Overcrowding is a constant source of complaint among commuters.

The country’s worst train is the 6.12am service from Didcot Parkway to London Paddington, with 248 passengers more than its 395 maximum capacity. The 7.42am from Reading to London Paddington handles 326 more than its 533 capacity and the 7.32am Woking to London Waterloo handles 357 more than its 738 capacity.

Rail minister Theresa Villiers said she wanted franchises to run for about 15 years instead of six – to incentivise bidders to invest in the railways.

The revamped franchises were intended to produce ‘better outcomes for passengers and better value for money for taxpayers’, she added.

But RMT union leader Bob Crow said the change would hand ‘companies even longer, gold-plated franchises that will extend their licence to print money at passengers’ expense way off in to the future’.

The Association of Train Operating Companies said longer franchises would ‘allow train operators to respond more quickly to what passengers want and help drive down costs’.

*Story taken from metro.co.uk - To read more click here  *
 

Room For Improvements

A letter that was published in the South Wales Argus

New station ' a monstrosity'

Views about the new Railway Station @ Newport from another fed up passenger

TRAIN FREE DAY

Protest about Rail Fare Increases - Train Free Day

Due to the adverse weather conditions and travel chaos, we at Arrivatrainsnails felt that it would be unfair to expect people not to use the train service on the proposed TRAIN FREE DAY of Friday 17th December 2010, due to people being unable to drive or use other public transport.

Arrivatrainsnails are now proposing a new date in early 2011 to hold TRAIN FREE DAY and that date will be confirmed shortly.

TRAIN FREE DAY

Just recently it was announced that rail fares are to rise next year on average by 6.2%. That’s just an average, in some areas Season Ticket holders could be paying as much as 10.8% more. There is no price cap so rail firms could raise them by much more.

Newport-Bristol off-peak day return will be rising by 8%. We feel this is too high an increase for our daily commute which is already expensive, often late and always overcrowded. Like many, our wages aren’t likely to rise by this amount so we have to swallow these costs ourselves just to get to work. This is why we are going on strike.

What we’re proposing is a passenger strike day - Date to be confirmed.

We call it TRAIN FREE DAY.

It’s not easy but see if you can find an alternative method of transport, be it by bike, car, bus or walking. If that’s not possible consider working from home.

By protesting in large numbers perhaps we can make a difference and let the government and rail companies know that we won’t just accept price hikes without any improvements to the service.

arrivatrainsnails.co.uk and onatrain.net are joining forces to help launch TRAIN FREE DAY.

Please show your support, re-tweet this article, tell people about it on Facebook or email your friends this article. It would be great if we made a difference. Don’t forget to add your comments in our guestbook and follow us on twitter.com/arrivasnails.

Read more about the prices on the BBC News website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11818904


TRAIN FREE DAY - NEW DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON