TRAIN passengers in the Forest and on Severnside are being failed by rail operator Transport for Wales, it has been claimed.

The 5.17pm Lydney to Maesteg was cancelled each weekday between last Wednesday (October 2) and Monday (October 8) – and as the Review went to press, it was announced that Tuesday evening’s would not be running either.

Passengers checking the service on Monday on the National Rail inquiries website were given the message: “This train has been delayed by more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time.”

For several years, rail campaigners have dubbed the route from Cheltenham to Lydney, Chepstow, Caldicot and Severn Tunnel Junction the ‘Cinderella’ line.

Now Gloucestershire councillor Alan Preest is calling on Transport for Wales to give fed-up passengers an explanation for the ‘frequent’ cancellations.

In an e-mail to the county council’s Cabinet member responsible for transport, Cllr Nigel Moor (Con, Stow-on-the-Wold), he said: “Transport for Wales are failing us again.”

And he asked: “Can we endeavour to seek some answers from TfW again on this nonsense?”

He said the 4.45pm Cheltenham to Cardiff which calls at the four local stations was cancelled on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Monday. And the misery for travellers was compounded on Friday by the service which was due to leave Cheltenham an hour later, he added.

The Conservative councillor said: “A CrossCountry train did run on these days, but did not compensate for the cancellations by offering one-off stops at Chepstow or Caldicot.

“These evening cancellations seem to be a fairly recent phenomenon, but, in the wider context TfW are not altogether reliable at other times, particularly first thing in the morning.

“Various excuses from lack of rolling stock to lack of train crew seem to be the general TfW stance.

“Arriva (the previous operator) was not brilliant, but they were better than what is happening now.

“If we are going to get more people to use the train, they have to be confident that they are going to get to their destination and get back home again.

“If services from Cheltenham to Cardiff are being cancelled, then services running up to Cheltenham are being cancelled as well.

“It is not a satisfactory situation, it’s getting beyond a joke.

Cllr Preest also wants to know how many services have been cancelled on the Cheltenham route since Transport for Wales took over the franchise to run services in October last year.

He also said serious thought should be given to transferring the Cheltenham to Cardiff route to Great Western Railway.

He said: “Perhaps Transport for Wales are concentrating too much on Wales to give the Forest much thought.

“I think we would be better served if the service was transferred to Great Western, who operate Gloucester station.”

The Review approa- ched Transport for Wales for comment.