Many of Transport for Wales’ Class 175s have been taken out of service across the Wales and Borders network due to persistent fires that plagued the trains earlier this month.
These fires were caused by a failure to carry out regular cleaning and maintenance.
Despite repairs being scheduled to take place by last Friday, the trains are yet to re-enter service – impacting passengers across Wales.
Some services hit are not regularly serviced by Class 175s. Trains belonging to other routes are now servicing the routes covered by the 175’s. This decision is at the cost of the entire cancellation of rail services on some North Wales branch lines, in order to continue services via the South Wales routes.
Commenting, Welsh Conservative Shadow Transport Minister, Natasha Ashgar MS said:
“Transport for Wales’ bus replacement of all services on the Conwy Valley route, as well as Wrexham’s Borderlands route is insulting to users of the lines in North Wales who depend on these services to make their regular commutes.
The entire cancellation of rail services on some North Wales branch lines, in order to continue services via the South Wales routes is unacceptable.
‘’Communities are now without a rail service due to the Labour -owned Transport for Wales’ negligence.’’
“Trains designed for short distances, such as North Wales Branch lines, are now running ultra-long-distance services such as Cardiff to Holyhead and Manchester to Tenby - for which they are entirely unsuitable.
‘‘The repair of the Class 175s must become TfW’s upmost priority. There can be no more delays to repairs and rail services on rural lines in North Wales must be urgently restored.
Labour-run TfW’s neglect of routine cleaning and repairs caused the Class 175s withdrawal, such carelessness must never happen again and lessons must be learnt so commuters in Wales are not disadvantaged at the hands of their own Government.”
