As a daily commuter on Arriva Trains in North Wales, I am writing regarding your inquiry into the Wales rail franchise. Unfortunately I only heard of your survey after it closed, but I gather it is still possible to send views via e-mail. 

I commute every day from Chester to Bangor, and am one of a large number of employees and students of Bangor University who use the North Wales line on a daily basis. Unfortunately, many colleagues choose to drive due to the various problems with the current service: 

1) Over the past few years, services have been reduced: there is now only one train that arrives in Bangor between 8am and 10.10am (the service that used to arrive around 9.30am was withdrawn a few years ago).  This is prime commuting time, yet services are minimal. Instead, services in the middle of the day are much more frequent, yet are less heavily used. At the end of the day, train services only run roughly an hour apart, and between 3.15pm and 7pm there are no direct services for those using stations between Llandudno Junction and Chester. 

2) The cost of train travel along the North Wales line is extremely expensive compared with other lines in the UK - it is considerably higher than Mersey Rail, for example, as well as for those commuting into Cardiff. 

3) Many university students rely on the train service to get into university, but the poor service and high cost excludes many local students in an area where social inclusion really should be a priority.  

4) Some of the rolling stock is very old, and many trains appear to have problems with (lack of) heating.