Long promised new trains on the Cambrian Line have been delayed again with the new stock not expected until some point in 2026.

Many other lines across Wales have seen the introduction of new Class 197 trains and even the Shrewsbury to Birmingham section of the line has the new engines, but mid Wales is still waiting.

The service in mid Wales has been described as second class as politicians promise to seek answers from the Welsh-Government owned Transport for Wales.

The issue is exacerbated by old engines running along the Cambrian line and Cambrian Coast line, with two services partially cancelled last week due to ‘more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time' according to the Transport for Wales website.

This week marks the one year anniversary of a collision between two trains on the Cambrian Line at Talerddig that claimed the life of Aberystwyth man David Tudor Evans and led to 27 other people being injured, four of them seriously.

Initial investigations have shown that faults in the safety system on one of the two trains involved in the crash led to the collision.

Transport for Wales has in the last two years been introducing new trains to the lines across Wales, but the Cambrian Line is still waiting.

Asked by the Cambrian News when mid Wales rail users could expect to see new trains on the Cambrian Line, a Transport for Wales spokesperson said: "Our priority is getting the brand-new Class 197 trains into service on the Cambrian line as soon as possible.

"We are working with the train manufacture CAF and our infrastructure partners Network Rail to bring the units into service during 2026."

Reacting to the announcement, Ceredigion MS Elin Jones said: “We’re desperate for better trains and a more reliable service between Aberystwyth and Birmingham, and it’s a very vague commitment by Transport for Wales.

“We need a more specific timetable and I will be contacting TFW to get a better understanding of when we can expect the new trains to be in service.

“Only this week I was contacted again by a constituent who had been stranded in Borth, due to cancelled trains.

“We’re getting a second-class service compared to most other areas in Wales, and Transport for Wales needs to make the Cambrian Line a priority for next few months.”

Montgomeryshire MS Russell George, who has also long campaigned for improvements on the line, said: “During a recent meeting I have had with the CEO of Transport for Wales, I was told that disappointingly the new train carriages on the Cambrian Line had been delayed yet again.

“I was originally told the new stock would be coming online towards the end of 2023, that was delayed until Winter 2024 and I have been told because of delays with the supply of the carriages to TfW the new stock will not be available until 2026. “This is very disappointing when the new stock is already being used on the lines in other parts of Wales. “It is the one-year anniversary since the fatal collision at Talerddig, and it is frustrating there has been an increase in overcrowding, delayed trains, and ongoing train cancellations. I continue to raise these issues with Transport for Wales and in the Senedd.”

Transport for Wales has also come under scrutiny this week after it was revealed the publicly owned company spends more than £8 million a year on an excess wage bill for dozens of ‘spare’ train drivers and conductors.

Rhys ab Owen, who sits as an independent Senedd member, expressed concerns about value for money after being contacted by a Transport for Wales (TfW) train driver.

He told the Senedd: “For the time period requested, TfW, by their own figures, had 89 drivers and 70 conductors more than is needed to run the service, and in excess of the established posts. This equates to an excess wage bill per annum of over £8m.”

Mr ab Owen recognised the need for spare drivers to minimise cancellations or delays, saying: “They are utilised to ensure services run and to minimise cancellations and delays. A spare driver works a shift but is not allocated to a route that day.

Responding for the Welsh Government, Julie James told Senedd members that punctuality, reliability and customer satisfaction are all rising.

She accepted 2024/25 was not perfect but she pointed to statistics showing TfW carried 31 million rail passengers – a 19% increase – and train fare revenue rising by £25m to £175m.