RAIL commuters are facing travel chaos this week as a shortage of staff inflicted a heavily-reduced service on the Cambrian Coast Line.

Multiple trains between Machynlleth and Pwllheli have been cancelled this week as an “unprecedented” amount of Arriva staff have been taken ill and unable to attend work, whilst other staff members are on prebooked annual leave.

Arriva Trains Wales, which is losing the Wales and Borders rail franchise this October to KeolisAmey, has apologised for the cancellations.

Bethan Jelfs, customer services director for Arriva Trains Wales, said: “We have recently experienced an unprecedented amount of short-term sickness levels within our train crew team.

“This, in addition to planned annual leave, has unfortunately impacted on our train-running services.”

Pwllheli councillor Dylan Bullard was irritated by the service’s attitude.

“It seems rather odd that Arriva Trains Wales should be experiencing this problem in the final year of their franchise,” he said.

Read the full story in today’s north editions of the Cambrian News