Evidence from Anne Marie Carty – WBF 26

Dear Madame / Sir,

I am writing to express my powerful support for an hourly train service from Aberystwyth to Birmingham International.

As a freelance researcher and PhD candidate at a university in London I travel very regularly by train to London & other cities around the UK & an hourly service would make a huge difference to my work & study arrangements. I also teach part-time at the university in Aberystwyth and am forced to catch the bus or drive because the train service doesn't fit in with lectures. This is a source of severe grievance to me.

The current 2 hourly service seriously limits travel to & from london at times convenient for conferences, meetings & lectures. The last train from Euston after office hours poses a serious danger of being stranded overnight at Birmingham or Shrewsbury should there be any delay between connections. This is also the case for train travel from anywhere else in the UK & severely restricts travel & adds to accommodation costs as we can't rely on getting home safely after a working day & so are forced to book an extra night instead of getting the train home on the chosen evening. In both directions at each end of a trip this means we have to spend more nights away from home than is convenient, & sometimes prevents a trip at all due to the extra time needed.

In addition, I'm a bit fed up of being the butt of city based colleagues who simply can't understand why I chose to live in an area with such poor services, & who express continued impatience with arranging work plans to suit my problematic travel arrangements.

I know I speak for a great many people in this area when I describe these problems, so I would be grateful if you could take any necessary steps in your power to secure a 21st century tray service for mid & West Wales.

Warm regards,

Anne Marie Carty