TfW representatives grilled by public over poor train services
AT A packed meeting in the Harlequins club in Maesteg, over 60 people had their say on the poor performance of trains on the
Maesteg line.
The concerns included trains being cancelled at the last minute with no replacement bus services, trains being turned around too often at Tondu, resulting in passengers – including the elderly, young mothers with pushchairs and vulnerable young females – being stuck there with no way to get home, general reliability and punctuality, not enough carriages for busy periods, and more.
Local MS Huw IrrancaDavies organised the meeting so that TfW could hear directly the concerns of local people. After the meeting he said: “I am really pleased that so many people turned out to have their say, and that for three hours TfW had to listen and respond to these genuine concerns.
“We want a rail service we can be proud of, and which provides clean and reliable and affordable journeys to work and to visit friends and get to events. It is not good enough, and
TfW accepted that things have to improve.”
A list of concerns raised at the meeting have been compiled and sent to TfW for a full response, which will be shared publicly across Mr IrrancaDavies’ social media channels.
But he says users of local trains – which he travels on three or four times a week himself – will need to keep the pressure on until they see results.
Part of this will be a follow-up meeting which Mr Irranca-Davies will organise, where TfW can report on progress and hear any ongoing concerns.
Mr Irranca-Davies added: “It is disappointing that in the days since the meeting we have again had cancellations and late-running trains.
“I urge people to join me in letting TfW know every time they are let down.
“If we want people to use the trains more, then we need a better service, so we won’t give up until we have that reliable service we all need and deserve.”