The “unacceptable” service on the Cambrian Line has seen less than three quarters of services arrive on time, with more than three per cent of services cancelled since October 2018, an AM has said.

Montgomeryshire AM Russell George has also called for improvements at stations along the line, including Machynlleth.

Mr George hit out at Transport for Wales, saying that expected improvements have failed to materialise and that passengers deserve better.

Mr George said he would be meeting with officials to find out what was being done to improve matters.

Figures showed that between October 2018 and July 2019, 3.4 per cent of services were cancelled and just 73.5 per cent arrive on time at each station.

Mr George said: “Over recent months, we have seen cancelled trains, delayed trains, a lack of staff, signalling problems, short formed trains with two carriages instead of four, a poor or lack of quality information to passengers when issues do occur, and overcrowding.

“This is unacceptable by anyone’s standards.

“When Transport for Wales took over the franchise last year, commitments of change were promised, which we have sadly not yet seen to the extent I would have expected.

“I will be meeting with senior officials from Transport for Wales later this month to further discuss matters, and ask them to update me on their plans for being prepared for the autumn and winter weather.”

A Transport for Wales spokesperson said: “We’re very sorry for any disruption caused to any passenger’s journeys on the Cambrian Line in recent months.

“We recognise that there have been issues on this route this summer, due to a shortage of trains, staff availability and signalling issues.

“However, we are working hard to resolve all these issues and expect to see an improvement in the near future."

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