Council welcomes new train services into Wales

Shropshire Council is hailing the announcement of new peak hourly trains between Shrewsbury and Aberystwyth as a great boost for the county.

Extra services are being funded by the Welsh Government on the Cambrian and Heart of Wales rail lines, including four additional return services between Shrewsbury and Aberystwyth, Mondays to Saturdays, with hourly services for peak morning and afternoon times.

There will also be two new return Sunday services, and an improvement to evening services on the Cambrian Coast between Barmouth and Pwllheli.

On the Heart of Wales line, there will be extra journeys between Llandrindod and Shrewsbury/Crewe, and between Llandovery and Gowerton/Swansea, offering good morning commuting opportunities on Mondays to Fridays.

The changes, which will be on an initial three-year trial basis, will come into place from May 2015.

Councillor Claire Wild, Shropshire Council Cabinet member for transport, said:

“We wholeheartedly welcome these extra services, which will be a welcome boost for Shropshire.

“More train services like this will be good news for commuters, as well as providing more opportunities for tourists to come to Shrewsbury, which will be welcomed by businesses in the town.”

The news was also welcomed by Shropshire Councillor, Mansel Williams, Chair of the Aberystwyth – Shrewsbury Railway Liaison Committee and Heart of Wales Line Forum. He said:

“This is excellent news for the people of Shropshire and Mid Wales. Both the Cambrian and Heart of Wales lines provide a vital service for residents, commuters, tourists and students in the area. We received a very strong response to our survey about services on the Cambrian main and the coast railway lines, which backed-up the support there has been locally for an hourly service, particularly in the commuting peaks.

“The Heart of Wales Line survey also highlighted the impracticality of commuting with the current timetable, particularly southwards into Swansea. I am delighted the Minister and Arriva Trains have been able to find a way to deliver these additional trains which I am sure will provide a significant boost to the Shropshire and Mid Wales economy.”