PLANS for an hourly train service between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury have been pushed back to 2024.

The plans for an hourly service stopping at all stations along the Cambrian Line between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury had been scheduled for 2022, but Transport for Wales announced this afternoon that this has now been revised to 2024, along with several other line improvements across Wales.

TfW now say that a consistent one train per hour to all stations service between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury will be delivered by May 2024.

The delay has been blamed on Covid-19.

TfW Planning and Performance Director, Colin Lea, said: “It is not unique to us in Wales, but the pandemic continues to have a massive impact on all of us and I’m proud of the way we kept key workers moving during the darkest days. As we now confidently move forward, we are beginning to see how post pandemic travel patterns may turn out. Leisure travel is already returning quickly, but commuting traffic will most likely take longer to return, as many of us adapt to flexible working. These new patterns of travel may help us smooth demand for travel over wider time periods and help alleviate some of our traditionally very busy flows.

“Since the original announcements in 2018, we have worked hard and are starting to see the fruits of that, with pacers now fully withdrawn and some new trains beginning testing around North Wales. However, the pandemic has affected our ability to train new crews and has disrupted our supply chain in many ways. Despite this, we will deliver some of the additional services committed back in 2018 as planned, but a few have needed to be revised. Overall, all the additional services committed in 2018, over 60 new services, will be added to the weekday timetable in the coming few years.

“We remain confident that we will deliver on the ambitious plans Welsh Government has for transport in Wales, including tackling the climate emergency, and we will continue working with partners for the benefit of the communities throughout Wales and the borders.”

For the additional services first announced in 2018 to come into effect in December 2022, revised plans mean:

• Cardiff to Cheltenham (a consistent one train per hour to all stations) – Will be delivered by December 2022 (as originally planned)

• Heart of Wales Line (one additional service per day to all stations) – Will be delivered by December 2022 (as originally planned)

• Liverpool to Llandudno (new hourly service) – Will be delivered by December 2023 (revised)

• Extension to the current Manchester Airport to Llandudno service – Will be delivered by December 2023 (revised)

• Aberystwyth to Shrewsbury (a consistent one train per hour to all stations) – Will be delivered by May 2024 (revised)

• Hourly service between Liverpool and Shrewsbury – Will be delivered by December 2024

In addition, TfW has successfully purchased a further 25 Mark 4 intercity carriages plus five driving van trailers that are fully refurbished to a high standard. This will include four trains of five carriages which will enter service on the South Wales to Manchester route in 2023. This is a newly introduced commitment and TfW is keen to explore the detail with passengers and stakeholders soon.