Passengers in Wales face major disruptions as over 650 trains were cancelled in just one year, raising concerns about service reliability.
Cardiff: It’s been a rough ride for rail passengers in Wales lately. Can you believe over 650 trains were cancelled in just a year? That’s a lot of frustration for folks trying to get to Swansea and beyond.
Transport for Wales (TfW) took over the rail services about seven years ago, but it hasn’t been smooth sailing. A recent survey showed only 72% of passengers were happy with the service. That’s the lowest in the UK! Southern Railway, the second worst, still managed an 80% satisfaction rate.
Punctuality and reliability were big issues, scoring just 59%. Value for money and service frequency weren’t much better. But there’s a glimmer of hope! In the latest survey, satisfaction jumped to 85%, with improvements in punctuality and reliability.
Still, many passengers in west Wales are feeling the pinch. I remember trying to get home from Cardiff to Carmarthen. What should’ve been a simple trip turned into a hotel stay because of delays and cancellations. I ended up getting home over 20 hours late!
And it’s not just me. An FOI request revealed that between October 2023 and September 2024, 654 trains to Swansea and west Wales were cancelled. That’s a huge number, affecting routes to places like Llanelli and Carmarthen.
Peredur Owen Griffiths from Plaid Cymru pointed out that this shows a real letdown for Welsh passengers. He mentioned that underinvestment in the rail network is a big part of the problem. He believes decisions about Welsh rail should be made in Wales to ensure better investment.
Back in 2018, the Welsh Government promised that 95% of rail journeys would be on new trains by 2023. But that hasn’t happened, and they’re blaming it on the pandemic and other issues. They say improvements are on the way with a big investment in new trains.
A government spokesperson said they’re working hard to transform travel with an £800 million investment in new trains. They’ve already introduced 76 new trains and have more on the way. They claim TfW is making the biggest improvements in punctuality and reliability among UK train companies.
We’re still waiting for a comment from Transport for Wales, but we’ll keep you posted when we hear back.
