'Carnage' on packed Transport for Wales Cardiff to Hereford train

Transport for Wales (TfW) provided just a two-carriage train for a peak service between the Welsh capital and Hereford, a service which then went on to Leominster, Ludlow and Shrewsbury.

William Powell, a councillor in Powys and former Welsh Assembly Member, now Senedd, said it was "absolute carnage" on board the 4.39pm Transport for Wales service on Monday (January 23).

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He hit out at "severe overcrowding at the end of the college day", which he said was "dangerous for passengers disgorging and joining" the crammed service.

TfW was using just a two-carriage train on the busy route, something he said was "just not fit for purpose" at that time of day.

TfW has promised for years that new trains would be added to the routes between South and North Wales, as well as Manchester.

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But Carolyn Thomas MS also weighed in on the debate, with her role in the Senedd including chairing the cross-party group on public transport.

Travelling on a later service from Cardiff on the Marches line, she said there was "plenty of room" but asked where the promised new carriages were.

She was expecting a three or four-carriage train, made up of refurbished Mark 4 coaches, but instead found just two older carriages.

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She had been told all Cardiff to Holyhead trains, via Hereford and Shrewsbury, would be formed of new three-carriage Class 197s, plus three Mark 4 coaches introduced from Dec 22.

In reply, TfW said it was continuing work to introduce Class 197s, assembled in Newport, across the network, with providing runs and staff training still taking place.

From the information it had at the time, due to maintenance work on the Mark 4s, it needed to swap the units for Ms Thomas's service.

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