Created 23-Dec-19
Modified 8-Mar-24
Rhondda Buses only operated on these services for a short period but I considered it better to try to tell the full history of this interesting group of services as that provides a better context for the Rhondda Buses operation. The story is only covered until approximately the takeover of Rhondda Buses at the end of 1997. The network has changed and developed considerably since but that is another story.
The story commences on 26th July 1964 when, after taking over the Mid-Wales Motorways service from Newtown to Cardiff in August 1963, Western Welsh and Crosville extended it to provide a Cardiff to Liverpool service - the first to link North and South Wales. Numbered X71 it had advertised connections at Newtown for Bangor (later to Holyhead) and ran daily in the summer and Fridays to Mondays in the winter, with an additional Newtown to Cardiff working on Fridays which ran until 1969. In 1966 the service was extended to Barry Island on Saturdays and the timetable featured an additional Friday night overnight trip from Liverpool to Barry Island, returning on Saturday morning.
For 1973 an additional X91 service was introduced. This ran on Saturdays from Barry and Cardiff using M4, M5 and M6 motorways to Chester then on to Liverpool. The services became part of the National Express network by 1974 and were renumbered with the X71 becoming the 871 and the X91 the 872. By this date also the overnight services had ceased, the daytime motorway link being presumably a much more attractive option. In addition a morning service was introduced from Barry Island to Liverpool which only ran limited days.
In 1979 the TrawsCambria name was introduced and used from 1st June 1979 for a new service which ran from Cardiff through Brecon, Newtown, Machynlleth and Dolgellau to Bangor. Given the number 700 it was operated by National Welsh and Crosville and initially ran Fridays to Mondays in the summer but was successful enough to remain in operation during the winter.
From 23rd May 1980 two more services were added to the network. The 701 ran from Cardiff to Carmarthen, Aberystwyth, Machynlleth, Dolgellau and Llandudno to Rhyl, whilst the 702 replaced the 871 service described above from Cardiff to Liverpool - it no longer ran to Barry. There were multiple connection possibilities both with other services and between the three TrawsCambria services.
The following winter operation was from Fridays to Mondays with the 701 running just from Cardiff to Machynlleth (connecting with the 700 there) whilst the 702 ran from Liverpool to Newtown using a Crosville vehicle from Liverpool. The 702 was withdrawn completely on 16th January 1981 following an end of financial support from the Welsh Office. In the summer of 1981 the Cardiff to Machynlleth operation continued on Tuesdays to Thursdays, with the full route operating on other days. Additionally during 1981 National Express's recently-introduced Aberystwyth to Cardiff feeder service to the 660 became instead an additional 701 journey between Aberystwyth and Cardiff which ran daily all year round.
From April 1985 the two services were modified such that the 700 now ran to Rhyl and the 701 to Bangor. The 700 ran on Fridays and Saturdays only and was curtailed at Machynlleth, only extending to Rhyl in high season. The through 701 service ran Fridays to Mondays with the additional Aberystwyth to Cardiff (and return) journey running daily. In this form the 701 flourished but the 700 withered slowly, ceasing to run in winter from 26th October 1985. It ran for the following two summers as a feeder service from Machynlleth to Rhyl but in 1988 ran from Llandudno Junction via Mold, Wrexham, Welshpool, Newtown and Brecon to Cardiff then in 1989 ran to Liverpool. The registration was cancelled in October 1989.
A 702 service was introduced in April 1993 which was a resurrection of the 700 in its later form, running from Cardiff to Mold. It started off daily that summer, then on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays for the following winter. In the summer of 1994 it ran Fridays to Mondays, extended from Mold to Birkenhead, but the service ceased at the end of that season.
The 701 service was gradually speeded up by cutting out some refreshment stops and with the improvements to the road network and saw changes in operators. Firstly Crosville was split before deregulation with this service then being worked by Crosville Cymru. National Welsh closed the Cardiff garage in 1986 and with operation transferring to Barry the service was extended to Barry Island. With National Welsh in receivership from February 1992 through vehicle operation ceased and when finally the last National Welsh depot at Barry closed the operation was transferred to Tellings-Golden Miller. This was transferred again to Rhondda Buses from 9th October 1994 although a year later it was transferred again to Rhondda Buses subsidiary Parfitt's of Rhymney Bridge. The same vehicle was generally used by all three associated operators.
In 1994 Crosville Cymru started some extra journeys from Aberystwyth to Holyhead which foresaw the extension of the 701 to Holyhead. The final extension in the period of this history was a Friday morning Treforest (University of Glamorgan) to Aberystwyth journey via Cardiff.
© David Beilby
