Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:12 pm on 17 September 2019.
On the first Saturday of this month, thousands gathered in Penderyn Square in Merthyr for a march for independence. However, many were unable to attend due to the lack of sufficient capacity on train services to Merthyr. Many trains were packed to the brim, with some trains bypassing some stations altogether due to the carriages being full from Cardiff Central. It simply isn't good enough to have a small number of carriages on days when major events are taking place, and this wasn't a one-off. When rugby internationals are held in Cardiff, there are often similar issues. What message are we sending to the world about Wales when we can't provide train services to an acceptable standard? I accept that improvements take time, but we are well over a year into the new contract, and it seems that although there have been improvements on some services, some are still Arriva trains in all but name. Will the Welsh Government provide a statement on what it will be doing in partnership with Transport for Wales to ensure there is sufficient capacity in future for major events of this sort that have been publicised well in advance?