Has local rail service gone off the rails?

Fed up users of the Shrewsbury-Aberywtsyth rail service now have the opportunity to feed into a daily diary that will record the problems they encounter. 

Judging by recent user comments, the service appears to be struggling with Transport for Wales (TfW) not replying over the past fortnight to MyWelshpool’s requests for information on the failings.

And, as the lack capacity and late arrivals continued this week, the Shrewsbury Aberystwyth Rail Liaison Committee announced it had had enough.

“We now have a daily report to prepare a comprehensive document to present to both TfW and Welsh Government with the concerns and issues headlined,” said the group’s Robert Robinson. 

“Please do post your stories (on their Facebook page) of what happened daily so we can pick them up and add to the overall report. This will continue daily through November until things change.”

Recently, one user declared that she had ben forced to give up her job due to the unreliability of the service.

She said: “I'm a daily user of the Cambrian line. I understand the problems that they have had with under resources and under funding for years, but during one spell this summer, out of 12 return journeys I had 13 notifications of cancelled, delays or reduced service.

“It is so unreliable I can almost guarantee three-four disruptions a week. I have now decided to leave my job due to the constant problems with getting into work on time.”