Concern over the increase in cancelled and delayed rail services throughout the Mid Wales has been raised in the National Assembly for Wales by Montgomeryshire AM, Russell George.

Rail bosses were forced to issue an apology earlier this week after services throughout the country were hit by cancellations, which they attributed to a combination of the poor condition of trains inherited from Arriva Trains Wales and the effects of Storm Callum.

Questioning the Welsh Government's Transport Minister Ken Skates on cancelled rail services in Mid Wales, Mr George said:

“We were promised by the Welsh Government immediate improvements to Welsh rail services as a result of the new franchise. The mood amongst commuters at the moment is that services are actually getting worse.

“Residents have contacted me to express concern that there was standing room only on a mid-morning train from Caersws to Shrewsbury because the whole train was full, delayed by 20 minutes and with no explanation provided as to why passengers were wedged against doors because the train was so busy.

"While I recognise that bad weather has affected the network, it is clear that rail passengers here in Mid Wales are also justifiably expecting the franchise to deliver improved value for money and put right the shortcomings in services that have afflicted rail users in Mid Wales for years.

"They are certainly not expecting a worse service and it is vital that we see rapid and significant improvements here in Powys on the both the Cambrian and Heart of Wales lines with immediate effect."

In a briefing note issued to Welsh Assembly today, Transport for Wales said engineering teams were working "around the clock" to resolve the problems with the service, having taken over running of the Wales and Borders franchise in October this year.

"A combination of severe weather conditions at the start of the autumn and an ageing train fleet inherited from the previous operator has meant that an unprecedented number of trains have been removed from service for urgent repairs," it said.

"36 of the 127 trains at our disposal are out of service. This has led to significant disruption across our network, with some services being cancelled, delayed or having fewer seats than normal."

Kevin Thomas, chief executive officer for Transport for Wales Rail Services added: "We understand that delays and cancellations are frustrating, and we recognise that recent weeks have been particularly tough for passengers.

"Autumn conditions and extreme weather are always challenging for the railway and this has been exacerbated by the ageing train fleet inherited by Transport for Wales.

"We are working hard together to keep passengers moving this autumn, and we thank passengers for their continued patience."