Heart of Wales line improvements praised by Ken Skates

Powys County Times

a day ago

ONE of the most picturesque rail routes in the UK has been praised by Welsh transport minister Ken Skates for showing consistent improvement in performance and reliability for passengers this year.
The latest figures for the Heart of Wales line, which connects Swansea with Shrewsbury via Llandrindod Wells, show that the reliability rate of services along the route stood at 97.5 per cent between June 22 and July 19.
During this period, 283 services were scheduled to operate and 276 services ran. There were seven cancellations.
Punctuality of these services arriving within three minutes of their advertised time also increased to 81.2 per cent, up from 64 per cent at the beginning of the year, bringing reassurance and an overall better experience to local passengers and day travellers.
Since January 2025, the reliability of trains run on this line has consistently been above 90 per cent.
The Heart of Wales (HoW) line travels through some of Wales' most breathtaking landscapes, including the rolling hills and beautiful rural villages of Powys, and has been described as a "national treasure".
In February of this year, it was named by National Geographic among the world's best train trips.
The route offers not just a means of transport but an experience, attracting customers from near and far and acting as a lifeline for work, education and leisure.
Cabinet secretary for transport Ken Skates said: 'Delivering better transport is a priority for this government and I'm pleased to see this encouraging improvement on the Heart of Wales line.
'It's good to see improvements in the experience of passengers and I'd like to thank all those involved in delivering this.'
Colin Lea, planning and performance director at Transport for Wales, added: 'These figures are encouraging and reflect the work we and our partners at Network Rail have been doing to deliver a consistently reliable train service.
'We recognise the importance of the service to those communities along this line and that there have been times recently where our service hasn't been to the standard expected by customers.
'While it's pleasing to see performance improving and heading in the right direction, there are still improvements to be made.'
The improved figures are thanks to the hard work of staff and Network Rail partners who maintain the track and trains with exceptional dedication.
It's also a result of the passion of all those involved in the HoW Line's local railways and community rail initiatives, who work closely together to improve the railway experience across Wales.
Local railways is a joint initiative with industry partners Network Rail and BTP, working together to improve the overall rail experience in localised locations.
Examples of recent local railways initiatives include a deep clean of Llandrindod station; the successful introduction of new active travel class 153 trains; the trial of additional Sunday services during high summer; siting a new container on the northbound platform at Llandrindod which allows rapid access to essential materials without requiring a block of the railway line, reducing delays and signaller workload thus increasing reliability.