A 'day of action' is planned by rail campaigners on the Cambrian Line between Shrewsbury and Aberystwyth in response to an increase in rail fares and what they describe as 'continual disruption' on the region’s trains.

Shrewsbury and Atcham Constituency Labour Party say they will be handing out flyers during a protest today, Monday January 7, highlighting what they describe as 'more of the same' from Britain's privatised railway system.

Commuters have been critical of disruptions since Transport for Wales (TfW) took on the franchise in October.

During November 2018, an unprecedented 36 out of 127 trains were being repaired, causing delays and cancellations at stations throughout Shropshire and Mid-Wales in the latter half of the year. The company said tbhe ageing fleet inherited from the former operator and poor weather were to blame.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: "What should be a straightforward journey to work for commuters on the line from Mid and North Wales through to Shrewsbury and Telford and on to Birmingham is turning into a lottery because you can never be sure that you’ll get there on time.

"We don’t doubt that the trains on Britain’s railways have suffered years of under - investment and as we’ve said, we welcome any improvements. But we want Transport for Wales to rectify the situation as soon as possible through the immediate introduction of new rolling stock”.

"What’s unacceptable is that despite the disruption, rail fares are set to rise again by a further 3.1% in 2019, adding hundreds of pounds to the annual rail fare for regular users. Capping fares and implementing a high quality service that works for everyone, not just the select few at the top has to be the way forward."

Last week, Transport For Wales announced details of a new "Delay Repay" scheme to compensate customers for unexpected delays and cancellations.

James Price, Chief Executive Officer of TfW, said:

“We would like to thank all our customers for their patience at this difficult time. Through the hard work and dedication of our staff, who have worked over 1000 hours overtime, through the day and night, we are pleased to have improved our fleet availability and reinstated services.”