The disruption to rail services in Mid Wales due to strike action this week “simply isn’t good enough,” according to Mid & West Wales Senedd Member Jane Dodds.

The Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader has called on the UK Government to “get around the negotiating table now and sort this out.”

Jane Dodds’ comments come after strikes being held this week mean there will be no train services outside of the greater Cardiff-South Wales Valleys area on June 21, 23 and 25, with the possibility of more strikes to follow over the summer and autumn as a result of industrial action by the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union.

An ongoing dispute with train drivers has seen a reduced timetable brought in, with services outside of South East Wales non-existent.

Transport for Wales is not in dispute with rail unions. However, industrial action as a result of the dispute between RMT and Network Rail will disrupt their services, as they will be unable to operate rail services on Network Rail infrastructure.

Fewer than 10 per cent of normal services will run, Network Rail confirmed yesterday, on the first of three days of industrial action across the UK. For Wales, the current industrial action represents the biggest strike in 30 years.

Ms Dodds said: “People across Mid Wales have already had their lives disrupted by years of poor rail services, making it difficult or completely impracticable for some to get to work or hospital appointments. It has put others off using public transport completely at a time when we should be encouraging it.

“The response from the UK Government to the threat of industrial action simply hasn’t been good enough. The Conservative Government needs to get around the negotiating table now and sort this out now.

“This week the Liberal Democrats uncovered that the UK Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps MP hasn’t even met with union bosses for well over a month. What on earth has he been doing all this time?

“Grant Shapps should be sacked. By blocking talks he’s guilty of inflicting misery on passengers and businesses.

“Not bothering to avert a crisis is a sackable offence in any other workplace. We need a Transport Secretary that cares about hard-working commuters and holiday goers who deserve better.”

Meanwhile, the Welsh Conservatives have acknowlegded the “huge disruption” the walkout will cause across the country and have said that these strikes bring into focus a need to bring in “mininum service requirments” which would protect services from a complete shutdown in future.

Welsh Conservatives and Shadow Transport Minister, Natasha Asghar MS said:

“Whilst I support workers’ right to strike, this rail walkout is set to cause huge disruption not just across Wales but the rest of the UK.

“Without a doubt the railway forms essential connectivity for people up and down the country, and therefore I hope that the unions can abandon the working practices of the 1950s, get round the table and use the changes in practices to give the staff a pay rise.

“The disruption caused by these strikes emphasises the need for the railways to bring in minimum service requirements which would insulate networks from complete shutdown and minimise disruption to people’s lives.

“In the meantime, it is absolutely paramount that Transport for Wales pulls out all the stops to put on alternatives in a bid to minimise disruption to people across Wales.”