Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe’s Liberal Democrat MP, David Chadwick has urged for rail fares to be frozen by the UK Government after they rose by 4.6% this weekend.

The cost of a season ticket between Llandrindod Wells and Shrewsbury has risen to £2,360, while the cost of a season ticket from Llanwrtyd Wells to Llanelli has risen to £2,000.

A season ticket between Newtown and Shrewsbury now costs £1,923.

It follows ticket price rises of 3.8% in 2022, 5.9% in 2023, and 4.9% in 2024.

Welsh Lib Dem MP David Chadwick said that people in Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe should not be paying more for a service that is “simply not working.”

Welsh Liberal Democrat Senedd Member for Mid & West Wales Jane Dodds recently secured a funding through negotiations with the Welsh Government to reverse cuts to services on the Heart of Wales Line and for young people aged 16 to 21 will be able to ride for £1 on buses across Wales, something which they’ve described as a vital lifeline for young people in rural areas who are increasingly isolated.

Both David Chadwick MP and Jane Dodds MS have said that restoring the 5th service a day is just the start of their campaign to improve services on the Heart of Wales Line and they will also be fighting for new, more reliable trains to tackle constant breakdowns and cancelations as well as more user friendly services, including on a Sunday.

The Liberal Democrats are also campaigning for better services on the Cambrian Line, noting that the Welsh Labour Government first promised to introduce an hourly service on the line over a decade ago and still no progress has been made.

Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe David Chadwick MP said: “Passengers in Mid Wales are being hammered by rising ticket prices, whilst our railways are simply not working. Years of Conservative neglect and mismanagement have forced rail users to suffer endless delays as they just try to go about their everyday lives.

“It’s a slap in the face for all those passengers who have been forced to suffer these cancellations and delayed journeys only for ticket prices to rise again this year.

“We must now freeze fares to stop passengers from having to pay more for a service that is not delivering and to encourage and enable more people to use the services we have.”