The Welsh Liberal Democrats have today revealed that in its first ten months of this year, the newly nationalised Transport for Wales franchise paid out £976,660 in delay repay payments.

Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS said: “Labour has promised for years to deliver more reliable rail services, yet these figures certainly suggest that isn’t what is happening

.“In just the first ten months of this year, Transport for Wales has racked up almost £1 million in payments to rail users for delays and that’s only those who go through the process of applying for a refund.

‘’There may be many thousands more who have been similarly inconvenienced but not claimed

.“The Welsh Labour Government need to tell taxpayers how much money has been set aside to meet delay repay payments and when they think they will have this under control. Ministers are now directly responsible for the service that commuters and tourists get on our railway but so far they seem to be taking a hands-off approach.

“Commuters and rail users need a service that they can rely on if we are to tempt people out of private cars. For the good of the planet, the Government must ensure that all services are running once more and that the trains are arriving on time

.“If Labour wants to introduce a ban on all new road building, the very least they need to do is to ensure we have a well-functioning public transport system. 

“The Welsh Liberal Democrats are committed to delivering a public transport system that works for all communities, for all ages, and for the climate. That’s why we want to see heavily discounted fares introduced along the lines of schemes introduced in Germany and Spain as well as a great frequency of services and better interconnections with other public transport options such as buses.

“With the First Minister showing a seemingly lack of ambition regarding public transport in Wales over the weekend, we will continue to demand better from the Welsh Government.”