Irregular refreshments trolleys on Cambrian Line trains have sparked concerns for elderly and disabled passengers.

An Aberystwyth resident who is a regular passenger on the line from Birmingham International has hit out at the services on offer.

She says that she was shocked not to see a refreshments trolley come through the carriage during her three-hour long journey.

On Friday 16 September, she took the 12.06 from Birmingham International and was frustrated by the new and unclear trolley policies by Transport for Wales (TfW).

She said: “Having asked several times about a tea trolley service en route, various conductors along the way said it would be coming through the carriages. But it did not.

“Eventually the last conductor around Caersws (about two hours into the journey) said that the trolley was in the next carriage, so I went to find it.

“A nice lady was stationed with the trolley and explained that new TfW rules mean she can't take the trolley over any joins between carriages, so she has to stand at the end of one carriage only. Who knew?

“So, I bought two teas from the trolley, only to be told I could not carry them through the carriage! But that the kind lady could and would bring them to us.

“How crazy is all this for a long train journey to West Wales?

“By way of explanation I was told apparently it follows an incident whereby one person hurt their foot on a trolley between the carriages, so that now no trolleys are allowed to come through the trains, leaving passengers - particularly the elderly and disabled - gasping and ignorant of the new rules.

“Why doesn’t TfW introduce a service where staff take orders and then bring refreshments if they can’t take the trolley through?

“And if carriages are unsafe for trolleys, then are they unsafe for passengers?”

But a TfW spokesperson said: “There have been a small number of occasions where the difference in floor height between adjoining carriages on some trains used on the Cambrian Line has made it difficult for staff to move the food and drink trolley, which can be very heavy when fully loaded, through the train.

“When this happens items will be sold from a fixed position on the train and our staff will make customers aware of the alteration to normal service.

“Transport for Wales is investing more than £800m in new trains to transform the customer experience on the Wales and Borders network and within two years 95 per cent of journeys will be on brand new trains.”