A review of a train journey by Local Democracy Reporter Paul Rogers

Due to living in Hereford, for the majority of meetings I cover in Shropshire, I travel by car. However, for a recent meeting in Telford, I decided to go by train.

I rarely use the rail network, but for many people it’s vital part of their day, whether it’s to go to work or college, or meet family and friends.

However, we always hear of cancelled or delayed services, or that the train was jam packed. In fact, I have wrote stories on the very subject.

This included reporting that Shropshire had some of the worst performing railway stations in the country. According to On Time Trains in January, all but one of the 18 stations in the county were ranked 2,000 or lower out of 2,637.

It must be stressed that it only referred to how the services performed and had no bearing on the station itself or level of customer service.

Then in March, I reported how Ludlow Town councillor, Tim Gill told Transport for Wales (TfW) stakeholder manager, Nichole Sarra how the company needs to have a risk assessment in place after being on a “jam packed” train.

Therefore, I decided to note down how good or bad my journey was.

My meeting was at 10am so I decided to take the 07:50 train from Hereford. This would be a Manchester Piccadilly bound service, getting off at Shrewsbury.

Arriving in plenty of time, I purchased my ticket from a friendly man behind the desk and went to wait on Platform 3.

The train arrive two minutes early and left on time. There were plenty of carriages with tables to work on, and free WiFi available. There was also a handy map showing you where you were.

Throughout my journey, the service was running on time, although I noted a later one was delayed. I got into Shrewsbury two minutes later, giving me plenty of time to board the 08:59 service to Telford Central.

Compared to the previous train run by TfW, this West Midlands Railway service to Birmingham New Street had far fewer tables, however at least there was power. As my journey would only take 19 minutes, there was little time to work; however it could prove problematic for commuters travelling to Birmingham.

When I got in at Telford, I had time to check out the facilities. There was a good-sized waiting area with plenty of display information, while there was a small hut selling hot drinks and snacks.

I was tempted by the coffee/croissant deal for £6, which I must say was very nice. After covering my meeting and working in Telford, I decided to board the 13:59 train to Shrewsbury, then change to get the 14:48 service to Hereford.

However, the latter was running late. It meant I had to time to marvel at how many stops there are if you wanted to go all the way to Pembroke Dock – 28 if you’re interested! I had already eaten and had a coffee, however if I wanted one I noted there was a Starbucks.

I therefore decided to stay in the waiting area – with handful power sockets to charge my phone. The train left six minutes later, and I must admit was the least comfortable of the day. I had to make do with a small table that flipped down, which wasn’t the most easy way to work. Likewise, the positioning of the sockets. The journey wasn’t very smooth either, but at least I had a seat, so couldn’t complain too much.

Arriving in Hereford later than planned, I had less time to finish my work when I got home.

However, overall I enjoyed going by train, and even though I will still mainly use the car going forward, I will definitely consider using rail more often.