Train operator Transport for Wales to get extra £70m from taxpayers

Transport for Wales has seen passenger numbers dwindle due to the pandemic.

Train operator Transport for Wales (TfW) will get another £70m of taxpayers' funding to make up for a drop in passenger numbers.

It follows around £167m of extra funding from the Welsh Government to keep trains running through the pandemic last year.

The latest injection of cash was revealed in government budget documents.

TfW said the money would protect jobs and keep vital services running.

Week-day passenger numbers on TfW's Wales and Borders network are around half their pre-pandemic levels.

Ticket sales have plummeted across the UK as a result of coronavirus.

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The Office for Rail and Road - which regulates Britain's railways - said journeys on TfW trains fell from more than 30m in 2019/20 to just 5m last year.

As a result, the service was effectively nationalised by the Welsh government in February.

In an update to its budget, the government said the £70m would "help meet operating costs from September until the end of November, whilst passenger numbers and fares remain uncertain".

It declined to comment further.

In a statement, TfW said: "As the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact passenger revenue across the rail industry, this additional support from the Welsh Government enables us to provide vital services, safeguard jobs and deliver on our plans to provide a rail service the people of Wales and Borders can be proud of."