Sam Rowlands, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales, slams poor rail service between North Wales and London.
Speaking in the Senedd, Mr Rowlands said:
The current service from North Wales down to London is a complete mess. Only a couple of years ago, there were 14 trains a day moving between London and North Wales; that's now down to five. And on top of that, of the five that exist, one in five of those are cancelled.
It's the worst-performing route in the UK by a long stretch, and it's having a massive impact, on local businesses and people's livelihoods as well.
Mr Rowlands asked the Transport Minister, Ken Skates what action he was able to take to support improvements on that particular line.
The Minister agreed that the performance of Avanti West Coast was unacceptable and needed to improve.
Mr Rowlands, also spoke about the proposals for trains from Wrexham to London, with five a day at least proposed for that route.
He added:
It is an absolute necessity for the largest conurbation in North Wales to have that direct link down to London.
As the city continues to attract visitors from far and wide it really is essential that this sort of public transport is available.
With the new Labour Government failing to commit to the last Conservative Government’s planned investment in the North Wales mainline it is absolutely vital that everything possible is done to improve rail services for the people in my region.
Not only will it be great for residents but it will also be another way of encouraging visitors to visit Wrexham and the rest of North Wales.
Sam Rowlands AS yn beirniadu gwasanaethau trenau yn y Gogledd
Sam Rowlands, yr Aelod o’r Senedd dros y Gogledd, yn hallt ei feirniadaeth am wasanaethau rheilffordd gwael rhwng Gogledd Cymru a Llundain.
Wrth siarad yn y Senedd, dywedodd Mr Rowlands:
Mae'r gwasanaeth presennol o Ogledd Cymru i Lundain yn llanast llwyr. Dim ond ychydig flynyddoedd yn ôl, roedd 14 trên y dydd yn teithio rhwng Llundain a Gogledd Cymru; dim ond pump sydd yna erbyn hyn. Ac ar ben hynny, mae un o’r pump hynny’n cael eu canslo.
Dyma'r llwybr sy'n perfformio waethaf yn y DU o bell ffordd, ac mae'n cael effaith enfawr, ar fusnesau lleol ac ar fywoliaeth pobl hefyd.
Gofynnodd Mr Rowlands i'r Gweinidog Trafnidiaeth, Ken Skates pa gamau y llwyddodd i'w cymryd i gefnogi gwelliannau ar y llinell benodol honno.
Cytunodd y Gweinidog fod perfformiad Avanti West Coast yn annerbyniol a bod angen iddo wella.
Siaradodd Mr Rowlands hefyd am y cynigion ar gyfer trenau o Wrecsam i Lundain, gyda phump y dydd o leiaf wedi'u cynnig ar gyfer y gwasanaeth hwnnw.
Ychwanegodd:
Mae'n gwbl angenrheidiol fod gan y gytref fwyaf yn y Gogledd gysylltiad uniongyrchol â Llundain.
Wrth i'r ddinas barhau i ddenu ymwelwyr o bell ac agos, mae'n hanfodol bod trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus o'r math yma ar gael.
Gyda'r Llywodraeth Lafur newydd yn methu ag ymrwymo i fuddsoddiad arfaethedig y Llywodraeth Geidwadol ddiwethaf ym mhrif lein y Gogledd, mae'n gwbl hanfodol bod popeth posib yn cael ei wneud i wella gwasanaethau rheilffyrdd i bobl fy rhanbarth.
Bydd hyn nid yn unig yn wych i drigolion lleol ond bydd hefyd yn ffordd arall o annog ymwelwyr i ymweld â Wrecsam a gweddill y Gogledd.
