24 November 2021

Wales ranked worst for local train services

24 November 2021

People in Wales rate their local train services worse than any other area in Britain, a new survey has indicated.

The YouGov poll of 55,000 adults seen by the PA news agency suggested that 22% of Welsh residents think rail provision in their area is bad.

Some 11% responded that they do not have any local train services, while 22% said services are good.

Welsh Conservative shadow minister for transport Natasha Asghar said: “The results of this YouGov poll sadly come as no surprise for people living in Wales.

It is clear that nothing has improved since Welsh Labour nationalised the railway, despite them saying it would protect services and deliver improvements to infrastructure

“Transport for Wales, which is owned by the Welsh Labour Government, has consistently failed to address the problem of overcrowding on Welsh trains which is becoming more frequent.

“As shadow minister for transport I have regularly called for more carriages to be put on trains and for action to be taken to address the regular delays and cancellations to services that cause anger and frustration to commuters.

“It is clear that nothing has improved since Welsh Labour nationalised the railway, despite them saying it would protect services and deliver improvements to infrastructure, which is grossly disappointing to me and train users all across Wales.”

A Transport for Wales spokesperson said: “Transport for Wales has started implementing an investment programme that will transform transport in Wales and the Borders, including an £800 million spend on brand new trains to run throughout the network.

“TfW is also developing metro schemes in North, West and South Wales which will provide more integrated transport networks for the people of Wales and improve connectivity.”

The survey indicated that other regions with low satisfaction ratings include Scotland (19% think services are bad), Yorkshire and the Humber (18% bad) and the North West (18% bad).

Government plans to scrap and downgrade rail investment in the North sparked outrage last week.

The Department for Transport announced that the eastern leg of HS2 will not be built between the East Midlands and Leeds.

It also revealed that Northern Powerhouse Rail – a scheme to boost east-west rail connections across the North – will only involve new lines in some areas, with improvements to existing infrastructure elsewhere.

The YouGov survey suggested that people in London are the least likely to say their services are bad (10%).

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