Pledge to improve rail services
The chief executive of Arriva Trains Wales has pledged to making improvements to the company's performance on the line from Shrewsbury through Mid Wales.
It follows complaints about the service on the Cambrian Line, taken up by Montgomeryshire Welsh Assembly Member, Russell George.
Last month Mr George wrote to Arriva Trains Wales CEO, Tom Joyner, drawing his attention to the repeated cancellation of services between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury during November.
Christopher Banks, a student living in Newtown and studying in Shrewsbury, complained when he said that cancellations had reached an unacceptable frequency.
Mr Banks said that the 7.38am service that he used to get into college had been cancelled on November 13, 17, 20, 21, 27 and 29.
Mr George said : "I am pleased to have received a positive and proactive response from the CEO of Arriva Trains Wales and am grateful to Mr Joyner for his offer to meet with me in Montgomeryshire to discuss the reliability of the service on the Cambrian Line and wider concerns regarding the rail network in Mid Wales.
"Mr Joyner said that the performance of the 7.38am from Newtown to Shrewsbury was below average and that he was disappointed that the performance was below par especially given that Arriva Trains Wales has one of the best punctuality records in the UK.
“The odd cancellation once every few months is part and parcel of railway life and whilst aggravating, customers can accept and put up with it.
“But there have been a large number of cancellations or part cancellations recently with no alternative bus service being provided, leaving Cambrian Line passengers totally in the lurch.
“The Cambrian line service is an essential service for regular commuters and students alike and I hope to see a quick improvement in performance and reliability now that the CEO has made a commitment that he will personally oversee the improvement of the company's performance on the Cambrian Line."
