THE future of the Heart of Wales Line railway will be discussed at a public meeting in Knighton later this week.

The service will be cut from five trains a day to four after the completion of a Transport for Wales (TfW) future timetable review.

TfW announced earlier this year that it would be conducting a review into the Heart of Wales Line service, citing falling passenger numbers as justification.

However, local residents and regular users of the trains say it is the poor service that deters passengers from boarding, not a lack of demand for a reliable one.

Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe MP David Chadwick is hosting the meeting, to be held at Knighton Community Centre on Thursday, November 7, between 7.30-8.30pm, along with Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds and Knighton and Beguildy county councillor, Corinna Kenyon-Wade.

“The line is facing a cut to its service, going down to four trains a day (one way) in December 2024,” said Mr Chadwick.

“Transport for Wales representatives will be attending the meeting. Please come along to raise how the cut in services will affect you, or to raise any issues you have with using the Heart of Wales Line.”

A post on the Llangunllo Village Facebook page regarding the meeting said: “As many will know, the reliability of the HoWL service has been very poor for some time. 

“Transport for Wales has now issued a new timetable which will reduce the service, citing falling passenger numbers as justification. 

“In fact it is the poor service that deters passengers, not lack of demand for a reliable one.

“Further cuts could put the whole future of the Line in doubt. The meeting will be attended by David Chadwick, Jane Dodds and representatives from Transport for Wales and the Heart of Wales Line Travellers Association (HOWLTA).

“Come and make your views known and your questions answered.”

TfW confirmed it would be reducing Heart of Wales Line services from five through services to four per day from December, including removal of the two late evening services to Llandovery and Llandrindod Wells, and that bus options are currently being explored.

As part of the review, it also confirmed that the Cambrian Line would start having an hourly service from May 2026 – over a decade after it was initially proposed.

“In the wake of the Covid 19 pandemic, the way people use public transport for work, education and leisure has changed significantly,” said a TfW spokesperson in October.

“We’ve changed too, becoming a public railway in the truest sense of the word. Nearly every service we run requires some form of public subsidy at a time where budgets are increasingly stretched.

David Chadwick, pictured on election night at the Royal Welsh Showground, near Builth Wells, when he took the Brecon and Radnor seat from Fay Jones. Credit Matt JonesDavid Chadwick, pictured on election night at the Royal Welsh Showground, near Builth Wells, when he took the Brecon and Radnor seat from Fay Jones. Credit Matt Jones“Every penny we make above and beyond our operating costs goes back into reducing the subsidy we receive.

“As a responsible operator it is imperative that we balance the needs for a regular, robust and reliable service within our budgets and against our targets to deliver more sustainable transport.

“We have developed our future timetable to better align with the new travel habits and requirements of customers, whilst becoming a truly multimodal operator.

“That means we’re looking at demand and the opportunities for growth across bus and rail together.

“On the railway, some routes will see little change, others will see slightly different calling patterns better targeted to current needs, but in other areas we have had to make some tough decisions in order to ensure we provide capacity where most needed, grow revenue and ultimately reduce public subsidy.”