Want the latest news from Swansea sent straight to your inbox? Don't miss anything from your city! Sign up for regular updates Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

My commute consists of me walking or cycling from my house in Adamsdown to our city centre offices.

If I am late (always) or followed by the angry drunk bloke on Broadway (relatively often) this walk will become a run.

Either way, I very much travel around on my own steam.

However, a couple of weeks back my editor walked up to my desk with a clear sense of purpose.

Was this going to be a big promotion? Judging by his sombre facial expression it wasn’t.

He then uttered a phrase that would change the way I thought about commuting forever: “Will, next week I want you to go to Swansea”.

(Image: Rob Browne)

Long story short, I was going to cover some shifts at WalesOnline's Swansea office for a week.

No big deal right? To be honest I was looking forward to it – a change is as good as rest, etc.

Now at the time I didn’t realise what an epic undertaking had just been thrust upon me.

“What is the big problem” I hear you ask, “Swansea isn’t that far away”.

My answer to that is Swansea may be a mere hour by train from the Welsh capital – but that “one hour” travel time only begins when the train leaves the station.

If the train does not show up or can’t leave the station because the doors won’t close, it can stretch to hours.

Well sit back, mind the gap and check you have all your belongings with you while I recount how Great Western Railways turned my simple commutes into an epic Peter Jackson would be proud of.

So I rock up at Cardiff Central on Monday morning.

(Image: Rob Browne)

“Rock up” is absolutely the right phrase as I have just downloaded the songs from the musical Hamilton onto my Spotify and was walking like an absolute boss.

I arrived with plenty of time to catch my 8.05am train. Nothing could dampen my spirits.

I even smiled at the women in the little café who asked for £3 for some bang average coffee.

Just before I went through the barriers I checked which platform I should go to.

Much to my dismay my 8.05 train was “exp 8.24”.

Not the end of the world, it gives me a chance to get a copy of the Echo and pursue one of my favourite pastimes on the platform (pointing out my articles to strangers and saying they are good without telling them it was me who wrote them).

After 10 minutes of this shameless self promotion I checked the sign again and my 8.05 train has become “exp 8.53”.

(Image: Paul Edwards/The Sun/PA Wire)

This was even more annoying as the next Cardiff to Swansea train was at 8.54.

This didn’t last long as it then came up as cancelled.

Anyway, I eventually got to Swansea and shrugged it off as a one-off.

Roll forward eight hours and I am boarding my train home.

The headphones are in, Hamilton is playing and my strut is back.

I am delighted to see the train is on time and I should be home with my tortoise in 90 minutes.

I sit in my (reserved) seat and wait to depart. And wait. And wait.

The departure time comes and goes and all I can hear is a weird beeping sound.

(Image: PA)

The driver then informs us that there is an issue with the train doors and a maintenance team is on the way.

Thirty minutes later, the train is cancelled.

There seems to have been problems all across these new Great Western Railway trains, with delays all over the place.

The next day is no better with my train to Swansea delayed by 25 minutes and my return cancelled altogether.

In times like this I tend to take to Twitter to angrily voice my displeasure.

I am not sure what I hope to achieve by this.

When it comes to companies, I guess I want there to be some record of their poor service.

Of course I appreciate that delays are an inevitable part of life, but issues with four out of four services?

I even had time to work out that I could have cycled to Swansea in the time I was commuting by train that day.

The main irritant is the illusion of choice.

It has been said by far more eloquent people than me, but what the hell is the point of employing marketing and branding for a natural monopoly?

I had to go to Swansea this week.

I had to go by train and I had to go at that time.

I looked at the trains plastered in Great Western Railway logos and

wondered why any energy was put into this.

I am hardly turning up at the station in the morning thinking, “Where shall I go to work today?”.

Am I really going to decide that even though our office is in Swansea I am going to go to Merthyr because Arriva Trains Wales has better coffee or logos?

I am lucky in that my commutes were only for a week and I have understanding bosses.

It has really opened my eyes to what rail passengers are dealing with on a regular basis.