Network Rail has partnered with Transport for Wales and Avanti West Coast to introduce a dedicated local railway unit for North Wales: Rheilffordd Gogledd Cymru (North Wales Railway). The launch event took place in Llandudno, where representatives from the three organisations collaborated over two days to explore ways to enhance the railway services in North Wales.
Rheilffordd Gogledd Cymru is part of Network Rail’s Wales and Borders route and follows the successful models of the Cambrian Local Railway and the Central & West Wales Local Railway. Leaders from these initiatives attended the launch to share their insights and experiences.
This new local railway unit will serve the North Wales Coast and Conwy Valley Lines, leveraging the expertise of local frontline staff who work on the tracks, trains, and stations. The primary goal is to foster regular collaboration among local teams across different organisations, providing them with the necessary tools and support to deliver significant benefits to the local community. This initiative aims to enhance the experience for both passengers and staff through improved railway services.
Heledd Walters, Network Rail programme manager for Rheilffordd Gogledd Cymru, said: “We had a well-attended and productive launch event in Llandudno, where we got all three organisations together in the same room and talked about the different challenges we experience in the North Wales area.
“It’s really encouraging that we’re already seeing similar themes emerge from all three partners; it’s good to see we’re already getting that alignment and direction.
“The whole purpose of a local railways business model is to bring together people who know the challenges of the local area better than anyone else. It’s about empowering decision making, everything from customer experience to train performance.
“It’s really exciting to be working together to make positive change in North Wales.”
Gwyn Rees, Network Rail Wales and Borders performance and transformation director, said: “We’ve been operating the Cambrian Local Railway for about 18 months, and we’ve been delivering lots of small, incremental improvements that have really had a positive impact on staff engagement, customer service and train performance.
“The biggest thing we can do for our customers is to make sure the train performance is as good as it can be. On the Cambrian, we’ve been able to make some subtle improvements to the timetable that help our trains operate on time, and that is something the team in North Wales can also look to achieve.
“But we’ve also found that to give good customer service, you must have an engaged workforce, and we’ve created an environment where those local teams are heard and have a framework to make local decisions.”
Colin Lea, Transport for Wales planning and performance director, said: “Local railway is about getting the local management teams together – in this case Network Rail, TfW and Avanti West Coast – to make the railway better through local ideas and innovations.
“There are challenges out there, but we’ll find ways through that, and we’re now in a process of prioritising some of the great ideas shared at the launch in Llandudno.
“There are long-term goals but also some short-term wins as well, such as improving performance along the North Wales Coast; looking at marginal gains we can make through the timetables; thinking about how we can provide better customer service, and accessibility.
“We all work for the railway. We’ve effectively put our name badges aside and are one team, here to improve the railway for everyone.”
Owain Morgan, Avanti West Coast route performance manager (North West & Wales), said: “We’re committed to working with our industry partners to improve the service we offer to our customers. Central to that is our ability to share the challenges, and most importantly agree solutions locally that will deliver those incremental gains that will lead to a more reliable railway for customers travelling on the North Wales route.”
Image & video credit: Network Rail
