Rail passengers in parts of Wales are being “let down” due to a staggering number of trains meant to transport people to Swansea and further west being cancelled. In a period of just 12 months, more than 650 Transport for Wales (TfW) trains on that route were cancelled.
The Welsh Government-owned operator took over the day-to-day operation of rail services in the country from Arriva almost seven years ago, but the transition has not been an altogether smooth one. In 2023, a Rail User Survey revealed that only 72% of passengers were satisfied with the service provided by TfW between March and August that year. That meant the company was by far the worst-rated operator in the whole of the UK. The second worst – Southern Railway, which operates trains from London to the south coast – had a satisfaction rate of 80%.
TfW scored particularly low marks for punctuality/reliability (59%), value for money (51%), and frequency of services (54%). In the most recent survey period – between February and September, 2024 – the Welsh operator has seen an overall improvement with regard to passenger feedback. 85% of passengers said they were satisfied overall, with a big improvement in punctuality/reliability (73%). Value for money (57%) and frequency (66%) also improved, albeit the latter is still considered to be “relatively low compared with other train operating companies”. For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter.
While those satisfaction scores reflect the feeling towards TfW across the country as a whole, they are not narrowed down to highlight feedback in certain areas including west Wales, where passengers have long complained of frustrations with the rail service. I myself fell foul of the unpredictability of west Wales rail transport one day whilst trying to embark on what should be the relatively simple 60-mile journey home from Cardiff Central to Carmarthen.
However, a delay became a further delay and then became a cancellation, and I ended up staying in a Cardiff hotel rather than wait at the station for a replacement bus which would have got me home well into the early hours. Even the following day my train was delayed, both in Cardiff and in Swansea, meaning I got home more than 20 hours after my initial train was originally scheduled to depart. You can read much more about that journey here.
This clearly wasn’t a one-off. A Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted to TfW has revealed that in the 12 months between October 1, 2023, and September 31, 2024, 654 trains travelling to Swansea and west Wales were cancelled. This includes services terminating at Swansea and those intended to reach Llanelli and Carmarthen, as well as other services further into west Wales heading to stations including Narberth, Tenby, Pembroke Dock and a different line heading towards Fishguard and Milford Haven.
Given sight of this figure, Peredur Owen Griffiths MS, Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson for Transport, said: “These statistics show that Welsh passengers are being let down. Historical underinvestment in our rail network and infrastructure has led us to this position. In order to create a Welsh rail network that works for the people of Wales, it’s vital that decisions regarding Welsh rail are made in Wales. Only Plaid Cymru fight for the devolution of rail infrastructure to ensure that we can secure consistent investment in our rail network that will create a rail network that works for the people of Wales.”
In 2018 the Welsh Government made a pledge that “95% of rail journeys in Wales and its borders would be on new trains from 2023”. This clearly has not happened, with the government blaming the failure to meet that target on the Covid-19 pandemic and other factors which have had an impact on manufacturing and infrastructure. Things will continue to improve, the government insists, thanks to huge investment in new trains.
A spokesman for the Welsh Government said: “We are transforming travel for passengers, with faster and more frequent services thanks to our unprecedented £800 million investment in a new fleet of trains. A total of 76 new trains have now been introduced to railway lines in Wales with another 72 to come. Transport for Wales are also making good progress on train cancellations and delays following the introduction of brand-new trains. They have made the biggest improvement of any UK train company for punctuality and reliability, according to the latest available figures from the Office of Rail and Road.”
Transport for Wales has not yet responded to a request for comment. We will add it here when we receive it.