Good riddance Arriva ?

I for one won't be sad if Arriva get taken over. The train service from Aberystwyth to the west midlands is shoddy in terms of the rolling stock and timetable. The staff are the one good bit of the service.

The proposed takeover by Deutsche Bahn, the German national rail company, has much opportunity for improvement for travelers to/from mid-Wales. D.B. are the parent company of Wrexham and Shropshire, yes, the rail service with a 98% customer satisfaction rating. This brings a number of opportunities for those of us in Mid-Wales

1. That some adjustment of the time table will allow you to get the shed (current Arriva rolling stock) from your nearest station in mid-Wales to Shrewsbury and then the Wrexham and Shropshire service with nice coaches and service to London without having to spend 90 minutes in Shrewsbury.
2. They introduce the 1 price ticket, no matter where you buy it or when you travel. Once price from Shrewsbury, 40 pounds.
3. Carrying more traffic may give weight to solve Wrexham and Shropshire's only big problem which is that it is given a very slow route through Birmingham. 3 hours from Shrewsbury is slow and if the train could get a better route, then I am sure that could be cut down to near 2 hours.
4. Run a W & S style service from Aberystwyth!

These opportunities may not get taken and no doubt some regulator or competator will try to meddle to stop an improvement in service. I look forward to see what unfolds.