Train commuters have recently experienced some of the worst cases of overcrowding travelling to and from Cardiff, with some would-be passengers left stranded at the station.
Passengers are feeling the pressure of reduced carriages at peak travel times, which is leaving numerous commuters packed together with little space to move.
Maintenance work on train lines connected to Cardiff are expected to continue up until the end of the year – with Arriva Trains Wales substituting trains for bus transfers during these periods.
The Ebbw Vale train line faces overcrowding on a regular basis
A spokesperson for Arriva Trains Wales says that the current overcrowding is due to an unforeseen passenger growth.
“The healthy growth in passenger figures reflects the continuing popularity of rail travel across our network,” they said, “however, there are no additional or spare carriages available in the UK at present and we are therefore limited in the number of carriages we can use.”
Credit: Better Transport
Cardiff’s frequent travellers are angered by the delays and extreme overcrowding they have to endure on a regular basis. Many of these have taken to social media to express their concerns.
Elliw Mai, a broadcast journalist from the BBC, shares her discomfort from having to stand on a packed train via Twitter:
Cardiff to L'pool. £65 for the pleasure of standing in a shed on wheels. 2 carriages?! Don't know why I expect anything more of @ArrivaTW
— Elliw Mai (@ElliwMai) October 14, 2016
It’s clear that there is a problem with the local system; which is leading to many upset passengers.
Despite the negativity surrounding frequent overcrowding on services passing through Cardiff, the spokesperson for Arriva Trains Wales reassures, “We are doing all we can to provide for the needs of our customers.
“We constantly review our timetables to ensure that our fleet of trains are used where they are needed most, and plan our maintenance regime accordingly so we have as many trains out in service as possible.”
Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to be enough for commuters.
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