Press Release – Network Rail
Network Rail has joined forces with Transport for Wales and Avanti West Coast to launch a local railway unit dedicated to North Wales: Rheilffordd Gogledd Cymru.
Rheilffordd Gogledd Cymru – or North Wales Railway – was launched in Llandudno, with colleagues from the three organisations getting together across two days to work collaboratively on ways to improve the railway in North Wales.
The launch of Rheilffordd Gogledd Cymru in the north of Network Rail’s Wales and Borders route follows the success of the Cambrian Local Railway and the Central & West Wales Local Railway elsewhere in Wales – and leaders from those organisations were in Llandudno to provide insight.
The new local railway unit broadly covers the area served by the North Wales Coast and Conwy Valley Lines – and will draw on the experience and ideas of those already working in the area, notably the frontline staff who work on the track, trains, and stations in North Wales.
The primary aim is to regularly bring together local teams – from across organisational boundaries – and give them the tools and support they need to deliver benefits for the local area, with passengers and staff alike ultimately benefiting from the collaboration.
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.”