Decades of chronic underfunding by the Heart of Wales railway line is the root of the sub-standard service which local passengers are currently having to face.

This is the claim of Jonathan Edwards MP,who this week made fresh calls for further investment to be made into the Heart of Wales line.

“I’m receiving complaints regarding the line including from a constituent who was recently left stranded 30-miles away from his home in Llandovery,” said Mr Edwards.

“And that constituent was forced to pay £50 for a taxi home.”

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Now Jonathan Edwards is calling on the government to secure a £20m investment package for the improvement of the service.

“The Heart of Wales line is an important link in my constituency as it connects the towns of Ammanford, Llandeilo and Llandovery," he said.

"People living in these areas should be able to use the line without the worry of being stranded far away from their homes.”

Mr Edwards went on to cite Professor Stuart Cole’s recent recommendations for additional investment to be made to the Heart of Wales line.

“If this investment was secured, it would increase service provision and bring some substantial economic and social benefits to the area,” he said.

“I previously tabled a parliamentary motion on this issue and have now written to the Welsh Government minister to see what discussions have since taken place with the UK Government.

“It’s no secret that Wales’s rail network has faced decades of chronic underfunding, and as a result, this boost would play a key part in the post-covid recovery.

"If the UK Government is serious about ‘levelling up’ it needs to commit to expanding and modernising all of Wales’s rail network. The Welsh Government should be pushing this agenda.”

Professor Stuart Cole’s recommendations were made in his submission to the UK Government’s Union Connectivity Review, chaired by Sir Peter Hendy.

His submission outlined that the investment would enable increased service provision to two hourly services each way over a 12 hour period.

This, he claims, would bring substantial economic and social benefits to the area.

He also makes the case for flexible ticket options and modernising the carriages in order to improve provisions for cyclists and visiting families.