More than 100 people attended a meeting in Knighton yesterday in relation to proposed cuts to rail services in Mid Wales.
Following a review by Transport for Wales (TfW), the provider announced earlier this year that the Heart of Wales Line service will be cut from five trains a day to four from December.
Two late evening services to Llandovery and Llandrindod have also been scheduled for removal.
The Heart of Wales Line, which runs from Shrewsbury through southern Powys and into Carmarthenshire before terminating in Llanelli, has survived multiple closure proposals in the past, but residents worry the latest downgrade puts the line’s long-term viability at risk.
Residents have also complained that the line has suffered repeated delays and cancellations due to the unreliability of the diesel trains that have been in place since the 1980s.
A recent Freedom of Information request by the Liberal Democrats revealed that there were 2,317 train breakdowns reported in 2023, with more than 2,000 services being cancelled as a result of train failure.
Unlike other lines in Wales, which are in the process of receiving new trains, TfW does not intend to replace the rolling stock on the Heart of Wales Line, despite repeated breakdowns.
In addition to allowing residents of Mid Wales to commute to Llanelli, Swansea, Hereford and Shrewsbury, the line is also considered vital for the local tourism industry serving as a gateway to the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park.
The line is an attraction in its own right and was named one of the top 10 train rides in Europe by Lonely Planet.
The Lib Dems have started a petition and are calling on the Welsh Government to scrap the cuts.
Mid and West Wales MS Jane Dodds said: “The Heart of Wales line is absolutely vital to the communities of Mid Wales and the Liberal Democrats stand firmly against these cuts.
“It is outrageous that TfW are blaming the cuts on low usage when most people we speak to say they aren’t using the Line due to how unreliable it is and TfW refuse to buy more modern trains to stop the cancellations.
“I will be pushing the Welsh Labour Government to step in and cancel these cuts.”
MP Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe David Chadwick added: “The Heart of Wales line is vital to the tourism industry across Mid Wales, and all the small businesses supported by it. This is in addition to those who rely on the line to commute or access public services.
“It is hypocritical that we have seen the Welsh Labour Government tell people they need to drive less yet are allowing cuts to vital public transport services across Mid Wales.
“With Labour spending millions on metro projects in South Wales, they can afford to find the extra money to protect the already very limited rail services we have here in Mid Wales.
“Rural residents are not second-class citizens; they pay their taxes like everyone else in the country and should be able to rely on access to public services.”
Powys councillor Corinna Kenyon-Wade, representatives from Transport for Wales and the Heart of Wales Line Travellers Association were also in attendance.
Back in April when the plans were announced, Colin Lea, Planning and Performance Director for TfW said: “The proposed new timetables will provide us with more resilience in the winter period and meet changed travel demands post-Covid.
“Nearly every service that TfW operates requires public subsidy, and as a responsible operator it’s imperative for TfW to balance the needs for a regular, robust and reliable service with available budgets to deliver value for taxpayers and more sustainable transport."