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The parents of a 12-year-old girl have criticised Transport for Wales after their daughter was "kicked off a train" and left abandoned at a railway station.

Lucy Edwards was on the 3.44pm train from Clunderwen in Pembrokeshire on Sunday, September 15 and was expecting to meet her dad Timothy Edwards at Bridgend railway station.

But she never reached her destination after Transport for Wales unexpectedly terminated the train.

Lucy was left on a platform at Swansea railway station unsure what to do next and called her dad for help.

Mr Edwards said: "Lucy phoned me and was very distressed, saying 'no one will help me dad'. I kept her on call while she searched the station for an official or a police officer.

"I asked her to check along the platform, but there were no officials in sight. I asked her to go to the ticket gate but there were no officials attending. I asked her to look for a ticket office and she said everything was closed.

"I asked her to try a different platform and she spoke to a guard who told her she had missed the Bridgend train. He did not offer any further advice or assistance before his train departed."

When Lucy did finally spot a Transport for Wales official, Mr Edwards claimed he said he was going home, there was nothing he could do and left her to fend for herself.

(Image: Timothy Edwards)

Transport for Wales has apologised and said it investigating.

Lucy had spent the weekend in Pembrokeshire , where she had been staying with her mum Louise Edwards.

Her dad lives in Cardiff and the original intention was for Lucy to travel by train all the way.

Mr Edwards said: "My daughter has recently started using the train to spend weekends with her mother in Pembrokeshire. We ensure that a parent waves her off in one direction whilst the other meets her on arrival."

But when Mrs Edwards checked the timetable on Sunday morning, she noticed rail replacement buses were running between Bridgend and Cardiff that afternoon.

After a quick phone call to Mr Edwards, they decided he would meet his daughter at Bridgend to save the stress of her having to get on the bus, something she had not done before.

The mum and daughter checked with the conductor at Clunderwen that Lucy would get to Bridgend, and were told she would.

(Image: South Wales Evening Post)

Mrs Edwards said her daughter was a "bright girl" but still young and vulnerable.

"As a 41-year-old, I would be in a panic but for her, it turned into a nightmare," she said.

"At the end of the day, she was in a station full of adults but could find nobody to help her.

"Somebody has to account for this. Why would I trust Transport for Wales? At what point would I ever put my child on a train again?

"They are supposed to be providing Wales with this great new system and their strap line promises so much. But how can they justify this when the fact is, a 12-year-old girl was kicked off a train at Swansea and left to fend for herself.

"They can't even provide a basic service and provide basic passenger needs."

Bethan Jelfs, customer delivery director at Transport for Wales (TfW), said: “The safety and welfare of our customers is our absolute priority so we are naturally very concerned to hear about Lucy’s experience last Sunday.

"We have apologised to Lucy and her parents and informed them that a full investigation is now underway.”