North to south Wales travel: 'A jigsaw piece missing'

The journey from north to south Wales along the A470 is notoriously slow

Anyone who has made the slow, tortuous journey from north Wales to Cardiff knows it cannot be done quickly. But how does this impact on businesses?

Whether you go by plane, train or automobile, the minimum total journey time is around two and a half hours.

It can be quicker for travellers from north Wales to get to London, Dublin, Liverpool or Manchester than it is to reach their own capital.

For many firms, the problems with travel cause a constant headache.

Dylan Huws is managing director of Cwmni Da, an independent TV production company based in Caernarfon.

He said they spend thousands of pounds every year on transport, as well as on wages for travelling staff unable to work.

"I can leave home at 7.45am and get to Cardiff for 9am if I take the plane. But then there is another hour-long journey to get to the city," he explains.

"There is always a missing piece of the jigsaw, no matter how you do it."

The company did consider opening an office in Cardiff, but it was not financially viable. Besides, Mr Huws says, north Wales is where "we want to be and live and operate."

But there is a "lack of awareness" in the capital of just how long it takes for people to travel from the north, he added.

"It is as difficult for us to attend evening networking events as it is for us to attend breakfast meetings," he explained. "So we stay overnight, and do everything over a few days."

'Route needs investment'

If any business is going to make money out of the long journey time, it would be haulage company Mansel Davies and Son.

The company's fleet of lorries are a familiar sight as they travel up and down the A470, making around 50 journeys between north and south Wales every day.

But managing director Stephen Davies says the long, windy, narrow route makes life difficult.

He thinks a lack of Welsh Government investment, not the terrain, is the only barrier to a better road.

"It would be a difficult road to build. But anything is possible. It is relatively mountainous - but it is not particularly bad terrain.

"It would be no more difficult than building a new road between east and west. Somewhere along the line, the route is going to need investment.

"But we find it difficult to get the Welsh Government to invest."

The Welsh Government has spent £86.2m improving and upgrading the A470 in recent years

In response, the Welsh Government says their National Transport Finance Plan, published last year, outlines the ways in which roads between north and south will be improved.

They have spent about £86.2m on improving and upgrading the A470 in recent years.

Dr Jan Green of Glyndwr University's north Wales Business School, argues it would be difficult for politicians to justify building a new road through Wales.

"Any government of any political colour needs to look at return on investment. The issue has been talked about for years - and never really addressed," she said.

The Welsh Government also points towards its annual £3.3m subsidy to Arriva Trains Wales for a direct Cardiff to Holyhead service and North South Express service, as well as its subsidy for the Anglesey to Cardiff air service, as evidence of its commitment to improving cross-country links.

But businesses need more fast trains, according to Prof Stuart Cole, expert in transport economics at University of South Wales.

His criticism is echoed by the Welsh Conservatives.

They say the air link subsidy went up 27% last year, to £109.53 per person, from £86.07 in 2014/15 , while passenger numbers rose by just 2.6% - prompting calls for an urgent review of the service.

A Welsh Government spokesman said the cost increase happened after the previous operator withdrew from the route with no notice at the beginning of the year.

They added: "An interim contract was competitively procured to ensure value for money was achieved and service continuity remained in place for passengers."

The number of people travelling on the A470 reduces significantly in the more isolated parts of Wales

Yet Professor Cole says Anglesey is not the destination businesses are looking for. "It is probably one of the least populated areas of Wales," he said.

Instead, he says, rail journey times from north Wales to Cardiff should be cut to less than three hours.

But Network Rail says a sub-three hour Cardiff to Bangor journey is impossible with current infrastructure.

'Complex arrangement'

The Department for Transport has responsibility for large-scale rail infrastructure projects in Wales, while several private companies, Network Rail and the UK and Welsh governments all have a role in the railways in what the Wales Audit Office calls a "complicated arrangement".

"Most people want to be able to make the journey there and back in a day," Prof Cole explained.

"But it's still something of a trek, so you think twice about it. And investing in Wales' rail infrastructure is way down the Department for Transport's priority list."

The Welsh Government estimate that, since 2011, Welsh railways have received one per cent of Network Rail funding - despite being home to 11 per cent of the total rail network in England and Wales.

But the Department of Transport insist that UK and Welsh Governments, "work closely to ensure that Welsh priorities are taken into account."

North Wales CBI chair Tracy North says many north Wales companies are expanding into England

The difficulty of the journey means business minds are focusing on neighbours over the border.

CBI north Wales chair Tracy North, who runs a Mold-based PR firm, says most of the region's CBI members do not travel to south Wales much, as their business is in north Wales or north west England.

"East-west road links, such as the A55 and M4, are of greater importance to the majority of firms," she adds.

And with Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns currently pushing the idea of more devolved powers - including transport - to enable north Wales to join the Northern Powerhouse, expansion into England is set to continue.

And according to Dr Green, faster links between Holyhead and Dublin could also become more important.

"In future years, we will be able to move around in ways that we can't comprehend at the moment," she said.

'Unsatisfactory'

Yet all still agree that current north south links are unsatisfactory. The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) even hold their policy meetings in mid-Wales so members can avoid travelling cross-country.

The CBI are pinning their hopes on a Welsh Infrastructure Commission, in the "early stages" of establishment, to kick-start the process of upgrading the rail and road network.

The Welsh Government expects to be given the go-ahead to take over Arriva Trains Wales' Wales and Borders rail franchise, which includes the north-south link, next year.

According to the Wales Audit Office, it's all part of the Welsh Government's "bid to extend its limited powers over rail services."

Arriva Trains Wales are accused of lacking the right facilities for business passengers

Local authorities have also been funded to "deliver improvements which will contribute towards improving connectivity between north and south".

And as time goes on, many argue new technologies are the more realistic solution.

"Using Facetime is as good as being face-to-face," says Dr Green.

But Mr Huws says the lack of reliable wifi on cramped Arriva Trains Wales carriages, which won't be upgraded until at least 2020, prevents any kind of remote working en route.

Arriva Trains Wales insists plans are being developed to have wifi on their trains, but they admit there are no additional or spare carriages in the UK at present.

Their franchise was let on the basis there would be no passenger growth during its 15-year duration. But they have seen a 60% growth in the first 10 years.

All this, Mr Huws said, "doesn't help to give you a sense of a country that is trying to better itself."

He maintains that Cwmni Da should be able to expand within Wales from their northern base, instead of looking elsewhere.

"We are able to tap into our demographic," he explained. "We are not isolated. We are in the middle of our audience, and we can't consider giving that up.

"It would be very easy to develop out into England. But we are a Welsh company, and we want to tell Welsh stories.

"Wales should be on a level footing with everyone else."