North Wales rail passengers forced to fork out over £100 for taxis after getting stranded in Chester

 

Rail passengers from North Wales were forced to fork out more than £100 for taxis after getting stranded in Chester at the weekend, it’s been revealed.

The problem occurred on Saturday night as some passengers were unable to board the 9.40pm Transport for Wales service heading from Chester to Holyhead due to it being too busy.

The issue was raised in the Welsh Parliament today by the Conservative Senedd Member Gareth Davies after he was alerted to the situation by constituents.

The Vale of Clwyd politician said he was told they were unable to board the train due to it only having two carriages and some people had to pay large amounts of money to get a taxi instead.

He called for the Welsh Government to clarify why the situation occurred at a busy time of year for travellers with most rail services in Wales under public ownership.

Mr Davies said: “In the run-up to Christmas, many people from north Wales enjoy a trip to Chester to go shopping, enjoy going out for dinner and drinks with friends and colleagues at this time of year.

“Could I have a statement from the Deputy Minister for Climate Change as to why this happened and why there were only two carriages on the line that night, leaving my constituents stranded and needing to pay in excess of £100 for a taxi back to some of their communities in north Wales?

“Can the Deputy Minister please reassure my constituents and the people of north Wales that adequate train services are in place for people to go about their daily business?”

However, the question was batted away by North Wales Minister Lesley Griffiths, who said he should contact Transport for Wales about the issue instead.

The Labour MS for Wrexham said: “The issue that you refer to really is an operational matter for Transport for Wales, and I would urge you to write to the chief executive.”