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Transport for Wales has apologised to passengers who have suffered overcrowding or cancelled trains recently – and revealed another delay to promised additional rolling stock.

The franchise operator inherited an ageing fleet from Arriva Trains Wales last October and currently has numerous trains out of service for modifications, refurbishment and repairs.

The result has been felt by commuters and long-distance travellers. Some Valley Lines trains at peak times have had only two coaches instead of the usual four.

On long-distance routes, such as Manchester to Milford Haven, some trains have been shortened from three coaches to two. Others have terminated and started back before their usual destination, for example at Wolverhampton instead of Birmingham.

Last Friday, buses replaced a train between Swansea and Fishguard, another between Gloucester and Cardiff via Chepstow, and several on the scenic Heart of Wales line from Swansea to Shrewsbury via Llandrindod Wells.

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Most cancellations are attributed to “more trains than usual needing repairs at the same time”, with some being down to a shortage of train crew.

Colin Lea, customer experience director at TfW, said: “We recognise that some services have been more crowded than usual in recent days and we would like to apologise to customers for the difficult conditions.

“This is down to a combination of carrying out essential accessibility upgrade work and the fitting of new technology which we are confident will improve reliability in the long term.

“A number of our trains have also suffered damage whilst in service and our engineers are working hard to repair these.”

Some of the work now being done is intended to prevent a repeat of last autumn’s widespread disruption, when leaf mulch and other slippery material coating the tracks led to wheel damage on many trains.

Mr Lea explained: “Part of this work is designed to make our fleet more resilient to the impact the difficult autumn conditions are known to cause. Carrying out this work over the summer will mean our fleet is in the strongest possible position going into those months.”

In 2017, the Welsh Government announced that five “Flex” diesel trains – converted electric trains from the London area – would enter service in 2018. The first of the trains, each with four coaches, was expected to start on the Rhymney to Cardiff line in June 2018.

However, the project has hit major delays. The pilot scheme, in northern England, will not bring any of the trains into service until next year.

TfW hopes to start training drivers and conductors on its Flex trains next month, with the first entering service in November. Until recently, it aimed to have all nine Flex units – including four extra ones ordered this year – in use by December.

There has been some relief for Rhymney line commuters in the form of a 1960s diesel train on temporary hire. A second such train is expected to begin on the same line today, following weeks of delay.

Half a dozen trains are now in the workshops for modifications to meet current accessibility standards by the January 1 deadline. Ensuring that TfW’s entire fleet meets the standards by then would require withdrawal of all Pacer trains.

The Department for Transport has already conceded that “a small number of Pacers may continue on the network into the beginning of the New Year”, but this relates to northern England. TfW still aims to be Pacer-free from the end of the year.

TfW is also giving its flagship Coradia trains a full makeover, one at a time. The work includes fitting power and USB sockets and replacing seat covers and carpets.

One additional Sprinter train at a time is out of service to have wheel slip protection fitted. The technology is expected to reduce wheel damage in the autumn.

Last week, TfW also had one extra train tied up in north Wales, serving the National Eisteddfod in Llanrwst.