Claim that 9 out of 10 rail passengers 'satisfied' with service punctuality
New quarterly results from Transport Focus, covering October to December 2025, show satisfaction with punctuality across the network increased from 82% to 89%, with overall customer satisfaction rising from 88% to 91%.
But the published figures cover the whole Wales and Borders system rather than individual routes. That includes busy South Wales and North Wales corridors as well as rural services such as the Cambrian Line, which runs from Shrewsbury through Welshpool and Machynlleth before splitting towards Aberystwyth and Pwllheli. No separate punctuality or reliability breakdown has been released for Cambrian services.
For Mid Wales passengers, that difference matters. Cambrian Railway trains run mostly on single track with limited passing points and typically operate hourly. When one service is delayed, the impact can quickly spread because there is little recovery time built into the timetable. Infrastructure faults, train faults or bad weather can lead to cancellations rather than small delays, as there are few diversion routes available.
Services are also heavily dependent on the Shrewsbury connection. Many delays affecting Welshpool and other Cambrian stations are caused by problems outside the immediate route, including signalling issues and congestion on the Marches corridor. During the survey period, severe weather halted services through Shrewsbury in January, creating a knock-on disruption for Mid Wales trains.
Nick Millington, Route Director at Network Rail Wales and Borders, said the overall results reflect sustained improvement efforts across the network. He said: “We’re thrilled with the recent report released from Transport Focus, which reflects our unwavering focus on improving the reliability of train services. We’ve been working hard over the last three years and we’re now seeing the best performance on the network since 2022.
“We recognise there are clearly parts of the network where more work needs to be done, however we are determined to conquer those challenges and continue to support Transport for Wales in operating the safest and most reliable services possible”.
Transport for Wales Chief Operating Officer Marie Daly said investment and fleet upgrades are contributing to better passenger experience.
She said: “The latest Transport Focus survey results demonstrate how our investment into our rail services combined with our fantastic colleagues who are living our values every day, are positively impacting the customer experience.
“Brand new trains across the network offer our customers better seating, improved information and general comfort, but they also provide us with more resilience allowing a more punctual and connected network.
“As always, we’re continuing to improve and are excited to deliver more changes this year.”
Network Rail reports that trains across Wales and Borders ran ahead of target on 26 out of 28 days during a four-week period in January despite storm conditions, but it has not published route specific figures for the Cambrian corridor.
Rail managers say the Cambrian route is now included in a dedicated performance partnership group bringing together infrastructure teams, the operator and local stakeholders to focus on reliability and timetable delivery. Timetable changes have added more station stops across the wider network in recent years, but no specific frequency increase has been confirmed for Cambrian services.
Transport Focus has also changed how it compiles its scorecard and now combines passenger views on both train operators and rail infrastructure. This is only the second quarter using that method, which makes direct comparison with older surveys harder.
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