Answers demanded over delayed and cancelled trains chaos
A politician has demanded answers over a series of cancelled and delayed train services in Mid Wales on the new Transport for Wales line.
A number of services over recent days have been cancelled due to a number of reasons, and AM for Montgomeryshire raised the issue with the Welsh Government's transport minister on Wednesday.
He said: "We were promised by the Welsh Government immediate improvements to Welsh rail services as a result of the new franchise. The mood amongst commuters at the moment is that services are actually getting worse.
“This is not the transformational improvement to services that Wales was promised.
“Residents have contacted me to express concern that there was standing room only on a mid-morning train from Caersws to Shrewsbury because the whole train was full, delayed by 20 minutes and with no explanation provided as to why passengers were wedged against doors because the train was so busy.
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“One morning service between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury was cancelled 4 times last week, which affected students travelling to Wrexham and Shrewsbury."
During an exchange in the National Assembly, Mr George questioned Ken Skates AM, the cabinet secretary for transport, as to why cancellation rates on a Mid Wales morning service was running at 80 per cent last week, while cancellation rates on the Valley Lines ran with less than a one per cent cancellation rate.
His calls for urgent action come after the franchise said it was working around the clock to get trains back on the track.
Mr George added: "The difficulties for passengers are greater where infrequent services are cancelled than where services are frequent.
"It's unacceptable that morning services on the Cambrian line had such a high cancellation rate last week when the Valley Line services were not affected, especially when you consider that there are more frequent bus services in this area.
"While I recognise that bad weather has affected the network, it is clear that rail passengers here in Mid Wales are also justifiably expecting the franchise to deliver improved value for money and put right the shortcomings in services that have afflicted rail users in Mid Wales for years.
“They are certainly not expecting a worse service and it is vital that we see rapid and significant improvements here in Powys on the both the Cambrian and Heart of Wales lines with immediate effect.”
