THE Welsh Liberal Democrats have described the latest rise in train fares by the Transport for Wales as “farcical”.

The Welsh Government has announced that rail fares in Wales will rise by 4.9% from the 3rd of March, claiming that the rise was needed to allow Transport for Wales to meet higher costs and continuing investment.

Commenting, the leader of the Welsh Lib Dems Jane Dodds MS said:

“This latest hike in rail fares by Transport for Wales is simply farcical and will do nothing but drive people further away from using the train network.

This is the same rail company who, last October, received a £125 million bailout to maintain operational costs.

How many more times will they bail out Transport for Wales before admitting that something needs to be changed?

How many more times do the Welsh public need to pick up the pieces before the Welsh Labour government admit their mistakes?

How can they expect people to pay more for late trains?

Our train network here in Wales is not up to standard, delayed trains and cancelled services have made the lives of Welsh commuters even more difficult.

We need long-term solution-based investment into our rail network, not the same old quick fix.”